The UN Human Rights Council and Canada Disagree (Again)

               An article published in the Huffington Post last week highlighted Canada’s rejection of a UN call for a review of violence against Aboriginal women. Mike Blanchfield of the Canadian Press lists countries such as Cuba, New Zealand, and Iran who disparaged Canada’s human rights record, particularly in the face of the so-called Stolen Sisters, the disproportionate number of Aboriginal women who have gone missing in Canada in the past few decades. Canada rejected the call in Geneva during the United Nations Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review of their rights record, with Justice Minister Peter MacKay’s office stating that Canada is focused on action rather than reviews.

                While many are shocked or at least concerned by Canada’s stance on the subject, the ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Elissa Golberg, insisted that Canada is proud of its human rights record and violence against Aboriginal women is better dealt with at the provincial or local level, and the Harper government is skeptical of the review as it allows other countries with poor human rights records such as Iran to criticize Canada. One might wonder why Canada allows the UN to conduct such a review at all, as Blanchfield states that Canada chose to reject 162 recommendations from other countries given as part of this review.