It’s time to uphold human rights

Winnipeg Centre

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/03/2025 (289 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In recent weeks, people in Winnipeg Centre and across Canada have been disturbed by the news coming out of the United States. While our memory of Donald Trump’s first term didn’t give us hope for what was to come, it’s been truly shocking to witness the lengths to which Trump and his cronies, such as Elon Musk, have already gone to undermine democracy and human rights.

While these developments are alarming, it is essential that we don’t fall into despair. Despair divides us and empowers authoritarianism. Above all, we need to stay united in our commitment to upholding human rights and stand strongly together against the spread of hate and authoritarianism.

That starts with protecting sovereignty and self-determination. Trump has already shown unfounded aggression to so many neighboring countries, repeatedly taunting Canada as the “51st state” and threatening to annex Greenland. Most recently, he’s tried to legitimize Putin’s reasoning for invading Ukraine, justifying Russia’s blatant violation of international law.

For Canada in particular, many have been most concerned by Trump’s tariff threats, which could have devastating impacts on our economy. As many researchers from both Canada and the U.S. have pointed out, Trump’s grounds for tariff threats – undocumented migration and drug trafficking from Canada – are grossly overestimated by his administration. So why are Canadian leaders adopting this same rhetoric and capitulating to his demands?

We know Trump’s demands are absurd, so why should we assume he’ll be satisfied if we jump through every hoop to meet them now? And what can we expect him to demand from us next?

It is deeply disappointing to see Conservatives like Pierre Poilievre lend credibility to Trump by calling on Canada’s military to stop cross-border migration.

It’s also disheartening that Liberal ministers – although appearing tougher on Trump in their public statements – have validated Trump’s central message that migrants are a threat to public safety. This rhetoric, and the policy it inspires, violates migrants’ human rights.

More than ever, we need to uphold human rights and international law against warrantless aggression. The United Nations fundamentally rests on the principle of self-determination, and the overwhelming majority of Canadians, as well as First Nations people, as represented by the Assembly of First Nations, firmly oppose Canada joining the U.S.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is important to Canadians. Upholding the Charter means protecting the rights of women, gender-diverse people, migrants, and all populations currently under attack not only by Trump, but by Conservatives such as Poilievre. Human rights law means nothing if we pick and choose from it. We must have the courage and conviction to stand together against all human rights abuses.

Now is the time not for despair, but for solidarity. Working together, we can build a strong, united, and inclusive Canada – a Canada that values and respects the human rights of all people. This is our best defence against any forces, inside or outside our country, that want to tear down the Canada that we all love and cherish.