Human rights meeting of ministers must deliver results*

You could be forgiven for thinking that protecting human rights is high on the list of issues that bring federal, provincial and territorial ministers together. After all, what is more fundamental to the life and well-being of everyone in Canada? Surely adopting coordinated laws, policies and funding strategies to ensure consistent human rights protection across the country is paramount on the intergovernmental agenda.

Think again.

While ministers meet regularly to deal with a long list of matters, they have convened only three times in the past 35 years to turn their attention to human rights. There was a 29-year gap between the first two meetings in 1988 and 2017, with a follow-up meeting in 2020.

This is about to change, as well it should. On June 20, federal, provincial and territorial ministers will attend the inaugural meeting of the Forum of Ministers on Human Rights in Halifax. Thereafter, for the first time in Canada’s history, all 14 governments will come together at a senior political level, every two years, to address what is arguably their most precious responsibility: crafting a robust national agenda for respecting, protecting and fulfilling our human rights.

But will they deliver? There is ample room for skepticism. Will such meetings become photo-ops full of empty platitudes? Will turf battles dominate? Will decisions be made? Will resources be pledged? Will tough choices that put human rights first win out? In these early days of shaping the forum, ministers have the chance to create something with national and global impact.

To do so, regard for Canada’s crucial international human rights obligations must be at the forefront. These commitments, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the two International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights, and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; as well as instruments dealing with racial discrimination, discrimination against women, torture, the rights of children, the rights of persons with disabilities and the rights of Indigenous Peoples, are rarely given their due when governments in Canada draft laws, enact policy and set budgets. This must change.

Taking international human rights seriously, not only in our foreign policy but at home, matters for two reasons.

First, we have major human rights problems that need fixing. The Charter of Rights and existing domestic human rights laws are not fully up to the task. They largely disregard, for instance, crucial economic, social and cultural rights such as health, education, housing, food and an adequate standard of living, which are guaranteed under international law. These global norms can go far in addressing the troubling human rights failings we face.

Second, at a time when governments around the world thumb their noses at universal human rights principles, the fact that we also give these standards short shrift domestically does nothing to bolster our global human rights diplomacy. Surely when it comes to human rights, our line with other countries needs to be not only, do what we say, but more importantly, do what we do.

In a recent study published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy’s Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation, I lay out a proposal for developing a national framework for international human rights implementation. This step should be the top takeaway from the upcoming forum.

This means every government should explicitly commit to respecting international human rights — always and for everyone.

It means revising existing laws and practices to better advance international human rights.

It means initiating comprehensive law reform to incorporate international human rights in domestic law and establishing effective ways to ensure compliance.

And it absolutely means a greater role for Indigenous Peoples’ governments and organizations, municipal governments and civil society groups who are at the front lines of where human rights violations occur and have the best insights into effective solutions.

Human rights are not just beacons of hope; they are binding obligations that provide a roadmap for a just and sustainable world. It’s time for governments across Canada to earnestly and collectively embark on this journey.

*Published as an opinion piece in the Ottawa Citizen, June 19, 2023.