HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES IN CANADA

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 Introduction

Canada is one of the most vibrant democracies in the world. The country has a good

global reputation due to continuously defending human rights. Human rights in Canada are

protected by existing territorial, provincial and federal laws. Canada began defending human

rights seriously in the 1970s. In 1977, the country implemented the Canadian Human Rights Act

(Thompson, 2018: 299). The act protects Canadian citizens from discrimination in the event that

they receive any services or are employed by the Canadian federal government, private

companies regulated by the government, or employed by any First Nation government. The act

further protects all Canadians from harassment or discrimination due to their age, sexual

orientation, or race. In addition, Canada implemented the Canadian Charter of Rights and

Freedoms in 1982 (Thompson, 2018: 299). The charter is enshrined in the country’s constitution

and it aims at ensuring all Canadians are treated equally under the country’s laws. The charter

assures Canadians of equal rights and other basic rights, among them being freedom of religion,

freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly. However, Canada has some issues in observing

certain human rights. The most recent human rights issues afflicting the country are rights

relating to Indigenous people residing in the country, placing children in immigration detentions,

and in the country’s foreign policy.

The rights of Indigenous Canadians

Overview

In recent years, Canada has been grappling with human rights issues relating to

indigenous people living in the country. The Canadian federal government is yet to resolve

indigenous Canadian’s issues such as poor healthcare, poverty, and problems in education. The
most persistent problem among Indigenous communities is limited access to clean and safe

drinking water. For instance, most Indigenous communities in northwestern Ontario are affected

by mercury poisoning due to contamination of the area’s water sources. Besides, there are

numerous violations against Indigenous girls and women.

Literature review

According to Amnesty International (2015: N.pag), the United Nations Committee on the

Elimination of Racial Discrimination pointed out that the problems are more adverse among

indigenous people living in rural and remote areas. The committee was quick to urge the

Canadian government to provide quick and working remedies to the persistent violations of the

Indigenous peoples’ rights. The Canadian federal government put in place measures that seek to

resolve the issues facing Indigenous communities in 2017. In particular, the government pledged

to tackle the issue of water contamination as well as improve healthcare for all indigenous

people.

Additionally, in a research released by the Human Rights Watch, the research revealed

that irrespective of Indigenous girls and women accounting for only 4.3% of the entire Canadian

female population, they accounted for 16% of the country’s female homicides and 11.3% of

women reported as missing (UN Committee, 2017: N.pag). An Inter-American Commission on

Human Rights inquiry on the disappearance and murders of Indigenous girls and women

revealed that the social-economic marginalization and racial discrimination were the major

causes of violence. The country’s federal government launched an inquiry into the violence

against indigenous females which showed inadequate policing as a big factor contributing to the

violence. The government has made little progress in resolving violence against Indigenous girls

and women.
 Individual evaluation and analysis

From the literature review, it is clear that the Canadian government has neglected the

rights of Indigenous people. Canada is a very developed country where most of the families

enjoy an above average living lifestyle. Therefore, the federal government should undertake

proactive measures which will ensure that Indigenous people are protected like all other

communities in the country. Also, the government should improve social amenities such as

education and healthcare benefitting Indigenous people. Improving social amenities will

empower Indigenous people to alleviate their poverty statuses. On the issue of Indigenous female

violence, the federal government should form a comprehensive taskforce which will assess and

evaluate the policing standards of all security forces. The taskforce should focus on how police

handle the reported cases and forward all its recommendations for prompt action.

Placing children in immigration detentions

Overview

The University of Toronto’s International Human Rights Program tabled a report in 2016

which showed Canadian immigration officials detained children. The report indicated that

children were detained in facilities that were like medium security prisons. Detained children

received minimal recreational opportunities and also had limited access to education. Also,

whereas the children were provided with primary care, they received very little mental health

care and support. The report also showed that in other areas besides Québec and Ontario,

children were detained in worse conditions. Some were held in correctional facilities that are

meant to detain young offenders (Rieger, 2017: N.pag).

Literature review
 The Canadian policies and laws do not specify any prohibitions regarding the detention

young children nor do they indicate a period of when children should be held in immigration

detentions. According to government statistics, an average of two hundred and forty-two children

were held in Canadian immigration detentions between the ear 2010 and 2014 (Rieger, 2017:

N.pag). The statistics do not, however, include children with Canadian citizenships. Canada

Boarder Services Agency and the Canadian federal government have put in place measures to

reform the country’s immigration system in regards to its policies on detention. The Human

Rights Watch has urged the Canadian immigration authorities not to detain families or families

with children irrespective of their immigration status.

Individual evaluation and analysis

It is totally wrong to detain children in inhumane conditions. If children must be detained,

then the immigration officials should ensure that they are detained in a child-friendly

environment. Children detention centers should have recreational facilities such as toys and

playgrounds and should also provide children with quality educational resources. Also, children

should be provided with mental healthcare such as therapies in the event that they are detained

from their parents. This is to ensure that they don’t become traumatic to the ordeals of being

separated from their parents in an unfamiliar place. However, the most important measure should

comprise of the development of comprehensive and strong policies which govern the detention

of children. The policies should provide alternatives to the detention of children as well as

provide best practices which aim to safeguard the interests of all detained children.

Foreign policy

Overview
 Canada has facilitated the abuse of human rights in some of its foreign policies. For

example, in 2012, Canada reached into an agreement with Saudi Arabia to manufacture and

supply arms in the country. Canada agreed to a $15 billion contract to supply Saudi Arabia with

Light Armored Vehicles for a period of fifteen years (Kassam, 2018, N. pag). Canada has a limit

on exporting any military resources to a country that has a record of using military strength to

violate the rights of its citizens. However, irrespective of Saudi Arabia using military strength to

suppress demonstrators, Canada continued to supply the country with the LAVs. Also, Canada

has been a staunch supporter of Egypt’s administration. The administration has nevertheless been

known to condone some of the worst human rights abuses. As a strong democracy, Canada has

failed to speak against the human rights abuses in Egypt and instead supports Egypt’s

government (Elpannan, 2018: N. pag).

Literature review

In August 2018, Canada’s Foreign Affairs minister, Chrystia Freeland ordered the

relevant authorities to investigate military vehicles made in Canada in used in violating the rights

of Saudi Arabian’s citizens. The country has, however, been quiet regarding its support of

Egypt’s government. Human rights activists have constantly criticized Canada for engaging the

Egyptian government in trade and other bilateral relations.

Individual evaluation and analysis

As far as the violation of human rights is concerned, Canada should not enter into any

agreement with a country known to violate the rights of its citizens. Therefore, Canada should

immediately terminate all trade agreements with countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Also,
the country should review its foreign policy laws to ensure that Canada does have any

agreements with countries that do not observe human rights.

Conclusion

The violation of the rights of Indigenous people has been condoned for many years. As

such, it is important for Canada’s federal government to ensure that all human rights issues are

resolved. It is also outrageous for a country of Canada’s stature to detain young children in

facilities with inhumane conditions. The government should hence streamline Canada’s

immigration system to protect the rights of children from being violated. Canada should also

review its foreign policies so as to ensure it does not implement any agreements with countries

prone to violating human rights.

 References

Amnesty International. “UN human rights report shows that Canada is failing Indigenous

peoples”. 2015. Amnesty.Ca. https://www.amnesty.ca/news/public-statements/joint-press-

release/un-human-rights-report-shows-that-canada-is-failing (Accessed August 15, 2018)

Elpannann, Ahmed, A. "Why Is Canada Ignoring The Horrendous Human-Rights Violations In

Egypt?" 2018. National Post. https://nationalpost.com/opinion/why-is-canada-ignoring-

the-horrendous-human-rights-violations-in-egypt (Accessed August 15, 2018)

Kassam, Ashifa. "Justin Trudeau Defends Canada's Arms Sales To Saudi Arabia". 2018. The

Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/21/justin-trudeau-defends-

canada-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia (Accessed August 15, 2018)

Rieger, Sarah. "Canada Commits 'Human Rights Violations' By Locking Up Children: Report".

2017. Huffpost Canada. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/02/23/canada-immigration-

detent_n_14974320.html (Accessed August 15, 2018)

Thompson, Andrew S. "Canada, human rights, and the future of the liberal international

order." International Journal 73, no. 2 (2018): 299-307.

UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. “Violence against Indigenous

women and girls”. 2017. Tbinternet.Ohchr.Org.

https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CERD/Shared%20Documents/CAN/INT_CERD_N

GO_CAN_28174_E.pdf (Accessed August 15, 2018)