Now that the Harper government has been in power for almost two years, it’s time to look at the government’s track record on human rights. Having reneged on the five billion-dollar commitment to the Aboriginal people of Canada, slashed Status of Women Canada’s funding and abolished federal-provincial child care agreements at the start of its mandate, the Harper government isn’t letting up its attacks on human rights. Here are three more examples:

REFUSING TO SIGN THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON ABORIGINAL RIGHTS

Last September 13th, the Harper government opposed granting fundamental human rights to Aboriginal people by refusing to sign this UN Declaration. The Declaration establishes a universal framework of minimum standards to guarantee the survival, dignity, well-being and rights of Aboriginal people around the world.  Only four countries opposed the declaration:  New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Canada.  In so doing, the Canadian government has disavowed 20 years of struggle by Aboriginal people to gain recognition. Shame!

NEGOTIATING A FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WITH COLOMBIA

Colombia is notorious for its human rights situation. It is the world’s most dangerous country for unionized workers.  Since its paramilitary president, Alvaro Uribe, came to power, more than 550 labour activists have been murdered. But Prime Minister Harper, instead of raising human rights issues when he visited Colombia in July 2007, preferred to talk free-trade.  Intensive discussions are now taking place behind closed doors to conclude such an agreement, which must be opposed.

INTRODUCING BILL C-3 TO MAINTAIN THE USE OF SECURITY CERTIFICATES

Bill C-3 is the government’s response to the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision on the Charkaouiaffair. The ruling denies persons covered under a security certificate the right to a fair hearing, the right to know the evidence produced against them and the right to respond to that evidence. Bill C-3 is still proposing the use of secret evidence.

As we can see, when it comes to human rights, the Harper government’s position is the same one it uses for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan or the Kyoto Protocol: sacrifice everything to the interests of money and big business.