Canada fails to live up to obligations

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/07/2020 (1938 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The recent failure of the government of Canada to win a seat on the United Nations security council is the result of years of neglect for human rights obligations, both at home and abroad.

This loss is reflective of Canada’s weakened influence on the world stage, and will hopefully serve as an opportunity to reflect and take action to be a country that upholds human rights for all.

The current Liberal government has spent billions of dollars bailing out corporations, while the people of Winnipeg Centre and communities across the country are denied their basic human rights.

I have been working in partnership with the community to ensure that these rights are respected and upheld. This includes advocating for accessible, and affordable social housing, greater support for seniors, a guaranteed annual income, food security, and safe spaces particularly for women, girls, 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals who are facing increasing rates of violence. I find the fact that these minimum human rights standards are up for debate disturbing.

We have the solutions to these problems, but it requires the political courage to act on them. It requires us to change the way we do things; we must address the growing wealth inequality in this country by taxing the ultra-rich and eliminating access to offshore tax havens. It is time that we divest from the growing corporate dictatorship that drives this inequality and is destroying the planet. It’s time to invest in communities and a just transition away from fossil fuels.

This government’s failure to address human rights is not limited to domestic matters, but also reveals itself on the international stage. Some examples of Canada’s lack of leadership include:

• Being one of 12 countries supplying arms to fuel Saudi Arabia’s war and humanitarian disaster in Yemen;

• Refusing to join 122 countries to prohibit nuclear weapons;

• Leading forces to unseat the UN-recognized Venezuelan government;

• Supporting extremists who overthrew the Bolivian government;

• Failing to support the UN resolution in support of Palestinian human rights;

• Supporting Canadian mining companies violating human rights;

• Violating the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

• Failing to uphold international commitments to fight climate change.

This list is far from comprehensive, and Canada has much work to do to honour its international human rights obligations.

We must address our current involvement in human rights violations and respect the security and dignity of all persons.