Canada on the wrong side (again) on UN native rights declaration, says Green Party

Harper continues to damage Canada's international reputation OTTAWA – Green Party leader Elizabeth May said today that the Harper government's decision to withdraw support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples betrays Canada's First Nations, Inuit, Innu and Métis peoples and drives another nail into the coffin of Canada's international reputation. Canada played a leading role in writing the UN statement of aboriginal rights. Senior bureaucrats in the departments of Indian Affairs, Defence and Foreign Affairs have all urged the government to support the declaration. But the governments of Australia and the United States have been long-time opponents. They have stood alone, until now. "Another day, another international embarrassment," said Ms. May. "By once again choosing to side with George Bush and Australia's John Howard, Mr. Harper reaffirms his determination to radically alter Canada's role on the world stage. "Until recently, we were among the leaders in international efforts to fight poverty, safeguard human rights and protect the environment," said Ms. May. "Today we stand with the laggards and saboteurs." Aboriginal rights observers at the UN say that during the early part of the decade, Canada led efforts to revise the native rights declaration and then win the support of other countries for the document. The US and Australia had become completely isolated in continuing to oppose the document. "Winning Canadian support for their side represents a major setback for aboriginal peoples worldwide," said Ms. May. "If the countries of the world cannot come together to declare their support for the rights of native peoples, then the prospects for progress in addressing the profound inequalities suffered by many of the world's native populations seem very bleak indeed." “Mr. Harper’s position to oppose the declaration is inconsistent with the wishes of Canadians,” said Lorraine Rekmans, Aboriginal Affairs advocate for the Green Party. “He has not shown leadership on Aboriginal issues since scrapping the Kelowna Accord and his approach is antagonistic to say the least. The Conservative government has made no real effort to deal with serious health issues such as clean drinking water for First Nations and has demonstrated a lack of interest in resolving outstanding land claims. Mr. Harper’s attitude is a barrier to progress both at home and on the international front.” The Harper government's about-face on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is the latest episode in Canada's rapid Jekyll-Hyde transformation on the international stage. Others:

• Declaring that Canada will not attempt to meet its legally binding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
• Apparently reversing Canada's opposition to the US missile defence shield by endorsing the Bush administration's plans to construct "Star Wars" bases in Poland and the Czech Republic.
• Falling behind with Canada’s African aid commitments and blocking efforts to hold countries accountable to their aid promises at the G8 summit.

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