Tuesday, April 7, 2015

THE INTERNATIONAL CONSPIRACY AND SILENCE, SURROUNDING CANADA HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD.

WHAT EXACTLY HAS HAPPENED, SINCE THE THREE UNITED NATIONS RAPPORTEURS, WERE ALLOWED IN 2013, TO VISIT CANADA AND TO INVESTIGATE ITS DEPLORABLE HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD?. NOT MUCH IT SEEM. JUST FURTHER SILENCE ON THE ISSUE.


The United Nations Rapporteur, on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, himself an aboriginal person, has made his report on Canada in 2013, with the final result of that report being published on July 4, 2014. And What did his report say:  That there were a number of concerns , regarding Canada’s human rights abuse, when it comes to its Aboriginal Peoples. In fact, Anaya’s report, was more blatant than that. He had called the situation, a “crisis”, and had also outlined the areas of concerns, as well as to make several recommendations, as to how the Canadian government, should also fix those problems. And that is also where the focus has been since then, for some of the other human rights agencies, like Amnesty International, who has always used the platform of the situation facing Canada’s Native Peoples, to further its own cause. Meaning to get more money, for doing what it also believe, to be a ‘wonderful work’ on that issue. Ignoring, of course, the other areas of concerns, regarding that country’s human rights abuse, such as racism and discrimination against other specific groups of people, such as minorities, in its report. It is as if those other groups of people also did not exist, where either, Amnesty International, or the Canadian government, are concerned.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur, on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, also ended his report, on a somewhat confused note, making it also look paradoxical to his earlier statements, on that issue. He has also made such other statements, that shows that Canada overall, was  doing a good job, regarding its human rights record. Which was as far from the truth as you can get. And how did he come to that conclusion, one might asked?. It would be too lengthy to get into here, but it all boils down to the personal integrity, of those conducting the reports. 

Among his statements, also, was the one which says that: ‘Canada was one of the first countries in the modern era to extend constitutional protection to indigenous peoples’ rights. This constitutional protection has provided a has provided a strong foundation for advancing indigenous people’s rights over the last 30 years, especially through the courts. Federal and provincial governments has made notable efforts to address treaty and aboriginal claims and to improve the social and economic well being of indigenous peoples’. (Sic) I suppose minus the one which still does not recognized Canada’s sovereignty, as a country, in the eyes of those people. And on that note, perhaps that is also the reason why the situations on the native reserves, in terms of such basic needs such as food, water and shelter, are also so deplorable. Maybe he can also answer that question, as to why that is the case?. He did insist though, that the Canadian government, also recognized the role of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and to extend its role for as long as it may be necessary for it to complete its work...

The second United Nations rapporteur, to address the issue of human rights violations by Canada in 2013, was the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. A body that was established in 1982. But of importance here, is its report in 2013, (or the non existence of it) on Canada’s role, in regards to women. It too was granted special permission by the Canadian government, to come on its soil and to carry out its investigation, on that issue. This is also what I have found . That, I have looked on its home page, ‘UN Women: United Nations Entity For Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women’ and also under the subheading of ‘Conventions on the Eliminations of All Forms of Discrimination against women’  and has searched the reports under ‘countries’ and could not find the country of Canada anywhere’. (If anyone comes across that report on Canada, please let me know). That is my conclusion on the UN’s second rapporteur’s visit to Canada.

The third one, which is not a United Nations rapporteur at all per say, but is a member of the Organization of American States, and is also called the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. It is the human rights governing body, for the region of North America, the Caribbean and also the Latin American countries. Of which Canada is also a part of, being like the USA, a part of North America. It is a completely independent body from the United Nations, but it also makes regular reports to the UN and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, about its findings, on the countries of that region, including Canada. In its visit to Canada, in October 2013, it was also carrying out the function, of a UN rapporteur, in regards to the issue of discrimination, in Canada. I know this, because the IACHR had also requested my participation at the time, as a delegate to its convention, that also took place in Montreal, Quebec. And which I also declined.

As to its findings on the practice of discrimination, that are being carried out by the Canadian government, and most importantly, how seriously, it has also taken those reports, from the various other groups which it had also contacted, to also be delegates at the convention, as well as to provide their own insights into the problem, is a also different matter entirely. The IACHR, is known to have a weak backbone and has shown outright cowardliness, when it comes to dealing with the concerns that has been brought to its attention, about Canada.

It certainly has the power to intervened, but also has never done so, prior to its investigation, in its role in acting as a UN envoy to Canada, in 2013. In fact, it was also a big Hypocrite on that issue.  What the IACHR report did focus on, particularly, was the plight of the Native People of Canada. An issue that was already taken up by the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the rights of the Indigenous peoples, James Anaya. The IACHR, just elaborated on it even further. In fact, its latest report, as of January 2015, has also focused on that issue. That report was based on the murdered and missing women, in British Columbia, Canada.  As for its report in 2013, on the issue of discrimination, particularly, racial discrimination in Canada, there is also very little to report on that. I actually could not find any of its findings on that subject, other than its report about Canada’s Native People. The IACHR was also back again in Canada, in January of 2015 and this time it has tried to worked with the African Canadian community in Toronto, especially, to gain an insight into the discrimination that is faced by that group specifically. Some of the current local black groups involved, were also the same ones that were invited to attend the conference, in Montreal, Quebec, in November of 2013. 

For years the Canadian government has been under attack, at the United Nations Human Rights Council and by other countries, which has viewed its actions as being hypocritical on that issue. Many of those countries, has outright protested against its human rights abuse record and it was not so long ago, in 2010 and going back several years further, that Canada’s role at the United Nations, was even diminished, further. Canada lost its bid in 2010, to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council, which was also an international embarrassment, for that country, since the 192 other countries, which cast their votes on that issues, also made it clear regarding their decisions, that this country’s actions were also not going to be overlooked, by the others.

Canada then lost out to a small nation, like Portugal, for that position. It seem to have learned its lesson on that one, because Canada also announced in 2014, that it would not run again for a seat with the UN's Security Council.

The comment from the government, was also equally embarrassing,  “ We didn’t withdraw it, because we thought we would lose, we withdraw it because  we knew we were going to be humiliated”, said NDP leader Thomas Mulcair. He continued, “… and we wern't losing to dictators… we lost to countries, that are long time allies like Portugal and Germany, who wanted nothing to do with the Canada…that are projecting on world stage”.  And this statement was also coming from a country, that was also instrumental, in some of the earlier decisions of the United Nations. Among them the drafting of the International Criminal Court.  In fact, the UN’s position on Canada, recently, was even more daunting, when on September 25, 2014, at the convention on the Protection of Journalist, it also called on Canada to be a global leader, in the protection of journalist and subsequently of freedom of speech. Has it complied?. Not yet, nor will it ever do so. Quietly attacking those, who like this writer, speaks out on its actions, to the rest of the world.

And still its position has continued to be diminished, in the eyes of the rest of the world.  From countries that were its former allies, to those others that it has also helped to demonized, as being the worst countries and with the absolute worst human rights records. Countries such as Iran, North Korea, China and Cuba. What it did not count on was also getting the rebuttals, about its own human rights record, from those countries, that it has also formerly respected, in the past. Countries like Russia and even the United States. In fact, Canada’s role at the UN’s Human Rights Council, which was also formerly recognized, as the United Nations Human Rights Commission, in 2006, also began to be diminished, almost from the very beginning. By 2007, less than one year after the new interlocutory body was formed and with its also legally binding mandate to those countries, in order to address human rights issues, a report was put out about Canada, by the Standing Senate Committee, called “Canada and the United Nations Human Rights Council: At the Crossroads”. And from then on it has gotten even worse, for that country.  Which by the way, still continues to hide its actions, concerning its human rights abuse and other atrocities, as much as it can.

Silencing anyone who dares to speak openly about it. This is where its crimes show up the most, because it is its police and intelligence services, such as CSIS, which also carries out those attacks, against some journalists and bloggers, such as myself, and also subject them to heinous human rights abuse, with the hopes of silencing them forever. But the burgeoning evidence against its actions now cannot be contained, as more and more evidence, has also come to light against its human rights atrocities. Perhaps the most obvious, is its unrepentant attitude about it. There are also denials being made as to how much responsibility, that it wants to take for its actions. Which consists of lying (covering up) and also denying some of those charges, and at the same time admitting to some, of those charges of human rights abuse, because of the irrefutable evidence that has also been presented, against that country. Such as those presented by the Indigenous People, of Canada.  Its other actions it will also continue to deny, or to cover up, until there is no more room left to hide its actions. But by the reaction of the other countries, of the international global community, that is also presented, at the United Nations Human Rights Council, it seem that Canada can no longer be able to, or will no longer be allowed, to hide its own actions, concerning its human rights violations. 


What it certainly did not count on were the rebukes, and actually, the outright rejections, about its human rights record. Other countries were also less forgiving. And understandably so, since some of the countries that were the most outspoken about it, were the very ones that Canada, has also attacked in the past, for their human rights abuses. Countries like Iran, China, North Korea and Cuba. And the criticism has also not stop there either. 

The UN's envoy to Canada, Oliver De Shutter, has also blasted Canada for its "self-righteous" attitude and its "appallingly poor record on taking recommendations, from UN human rights bodies, seriously". He also continued, referring to Canada's food problem, " It's not because the country is a wealthy country that there are no problem.
In fact, the problems are very significant and, frankly, this sort of self righteousness about the situation being good in Canada is not corresponding to what I saw on the ground, at all".