Policy Year in Review: Human Rights

By Joe Foster

2011 has been a year of human rights abuses,both here in Canada and around the world. While there are glimmers of hope, such as the Arab Awakening, even those changes remain questionable as to their outcomes. Generally speaking, however, it has been a disappointing year, especially for human rights in Canada.

Unfortunately, we have a government that has limited interest in individual rights as it presses forward to implement its narrow ideology of right-wing conservatism. Of equal concern is a proven unwillingness to listen to either elected representatives or the public.

Abroad, we have lost our long-standing position as human rights leader and unbiased player on the international scene. In Canada, any individual or group that disagrees or questions Harper’s Reform Agenda is vilified, fired, or in the case of NGOs, has their funding reduced or eliminated. Freedom of speech and assembly are challenged by fines and the barring from Parliament Hill for a year. This is particularly shameful for our native Canadian leaders who are now further restricted from speaking out on behalf of their peoples, as they tried to do when demonstrating against the XL Pipeline.

At home, the Green Party has spoken out a number of times on Human Rights abuses impacting Canadians. Travelling abroad now raises new concerns. Under the new agreement just made between Harper and Obama, exit information will be shared with the U.S. This new agreement leaves Canadians with no form of redress, which will only increase the likelihood of abuse.

Internationally, we are aware of just a few of the cases that have made the media, such as those of Maher Ararand Abousfian Abdelrazik. Where information is false or inaccurate, as was the case for Arar, it can lead to imprisonment and torture abroad.

A current case in point was reported in ‎The Chronicle Herald, “New Brunswick farmer Hendrik (Henk) Tepper is in jail in Lebanon over an allegedly low-grade shipment of potatoes to Algeria in 2007” (http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/37905-jailed-farmer%E2%80%99s-lawyers-puzzled-minister%E2%80%99s-comments) (also see http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2011/11/30/pol-mps-more-help-for-henk-tepper.html).

Tepper is accused of shipping rotten potatoes – even though they were apparently inspected by Canada before leaving. The RCMP is reported to have given Algeria personal information on Tepper and his family. If Tepper is potentially guilty of forgery, should he not be repatriated to Canada and tried in a Canadian court?

Another case we have reported on that remains in limbo is that of the former child soldier, Omar Kadhr. He has spent over 7 years in Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Kadhr is the first since World War II to be prosecuted in a military commission for war crimes committed while still a minor. He was convicted, after confessing under torture, and remains incarcerated even though he was to be returned to Canada to serve out the rest of his prison term.

The current government continues with its heavy-handed control and secrecy. We have to ask if we are fast-moving toward a police state where one is guilty until proven innocent. Bystanders at the G20 Summit found the answer this past summer the hard way. Now, as the government rams through Parliament the omnibus Crime Bill, this will place mentally disabled persons and aboriginal youth at greater risk of ending up in the planned new prison program. 

In summary, all Greens who believe in the common good and the dignity of each individual, as expressed in the Global Green Charter and the preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, need to make a New Year’s resolution to take leadership in our communities and speak out through the media, contact our elected officials and join non-violent demonstrations. There is no dignity without human rights and there are no human rights without democracy.

For background information, please refer to the Spring edition of the Diplomat magazine and the press releases found at:greenparty.ca/press releases/human rights.

Also please refer to the statements made in the House by our Leader, Elizabeth May: 

http://greenparty.ca/video/2011-10-26/coptic-christians-egypt-i

http://greenparty.ca/video/2011-10-26/coptic-christians-egypt-ii

http://greenparty.ca/video/2011-10-26/coptic-christians-egypt-iii

http://greenparty.ca/video/2011-10-26/coptic-christians-egypt-iv

http://greenparty.ca/video/2011-11-01/tibet

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Joe Foster was born on the Prairies and received his B.Sc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta and an MBA from McMasters.

Joe worked 2 years as a CUSO volunteer at the new University of Zambia. Following this ,he spent most of his working career as a civil servant/diplomat working for the Canadian International Development agency (CIDA) and with Foreign Affairs in Jamaica, Barbados and Pakistan. He also served 2 years in Malaysia with the UNDP.

He has been involved in a number of community activities, including social housing and advocacy groups  for the disabled. Upon retirement, Joe joined the Green Party of Canada where he has acted in a number of portfolios, including the Chair of the Federal Council . He remains an active member of a number of committees and is currently Human Rights Advocate for the Green Party.