“On the instruction of Harper’s Conservatives, the gun lobby has been imbedded in Canadian diplomatic delegations since 2009. On the other hand, peace and justice advocates for control of the global weapons trade have to content themselves with an observer status and watch negotiations from the sidelines,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands.

“I call on the Prime Minister to include Project Ploughshares, Oxfam and Amnesty to the Canadian delegation negotiating the ATT,” said May.

The Green Leader was the first MP to raise the issue during Question Period. “When I raised the treaty issue in QP, I was shocked that Minister Baird managed to work the now cancelled Canadian Long Gun Registry into his reply,” said May.

“This international treaty is too important to be obstructed by Harper’s Conservatives’ fascination with the gun lobby. One person per minute dies as a direct result of armed violence. There is a critical need for a treaty that will finally enforce international regulation of the international trade in conventional weapons,” said May.

The post Arms Trade Treaty: Harper’s True Colours Are Showing appeared first on Elizabeth May.

6 March 2013

Dear Mr. Baird,

I am writing to express my hopes and concerns regarding the upcoming negotiations of the Final United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to be held in New York from March 18-28, 2013.

As the second leg of the first comprehensive global effort to create rigorous, legally binding norms for the control of the international trade in conventional arms, this conference represents a unique historical opportunity.  Its humanitarian import and potential to save lives cannot be overstressed.

My first reason for writing is to commend you for the efforts you and your department have already made to support the success of ATT negotiations to date and to encourage you to take even greater steps to strengthen the provisions of the treaty, upholding the highest standards of transfer controls on arms destined for sites of conflict and armed violence.

I also urge you to take every action possible to ensure that the minority of skeptical countries do not succeed in weakening or derailing the existing achievement of these high standards during the upcoming negotiations. This will require a strong commitment from Canada to be a persuasive proponent of a meaningful and robust treaty that places global human rights above the narrow commercial interests of states.

My second reason for writing is to bring attention to the many flawed aspects of the existing treaty which Canada can improve upon.  In this matter, I would like to echo the calls for improvement already put forward by Ploughshares Canada, Amnesty International, Oxfam Canada, and Oxfam Quebec.  Among other things, these groups have demonstrated the importance of broadening the scope of the treaty to include all arms, their related parts, and ammunition, as well as all methods and types of transfers.  The current draft of the treaty does not include all types of conventional weapons and contains a limited definition of ‘transfer’ which leaves out the possibility of arms being supplied as gifts, loans, leases, or aid.

In order to effectively stop the flow of conventional weapons to sites of conflict and war, the treaty needs to be as comprehensive as possible.  Other needed improvements that these groups have highlighted include the institution of clearer prohibitive language related to the prevention of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and gender-based violence; the requirement of public reporting mechanisms and strong implementation measures; the exclusion of loopholes for ‘defence cooperation agreements,’ and the adoption of strong criteria to assess the risk of human rights violations.

Finally, I would like to comment on several problematic positions that Canada has taken on certain of the treaty’s draft provisions in the first round of negotiations.  Canada cannot act as a global role model and champion of human rights if its actions on the world stage fall short of its standards for measuring its own success at home.  Therefore, I am perplexed by Canada’s unhelpful and internally inconsistent stance on corruption and brokering.

Transparency International says that the international trade in weapons is rife with corruption.  In many poorer countries, corruption not only instigates conflict, it also undermines governments’ capacity to fight poverty.  The negotiations of the ATT offer an effective means to address this problem. Given that Canada recently improved its own rules on bribery with amendments aimed at strengthening the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act, why then is Canada against treating corruption as a central criterion for evaluating whether an arms deal should go forward?

Similarly, Canada’s stance on brokering in the negotiations is equally counterproductive to achieving rigorous global standards.  Canada’s opposition to the brokering provision undermines its international commitments to control brokering, including its recent effort to incorporate into regulations its obligations and commitments under the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies. This opposition threatens to altogether forestall the adoption of a brokering provision in the treaty.  I am not certain of the principled grounds Canada has for opposing the extension of its legal and judicial responsibilities under the treaty to Canadians who broker arms deals outside of the country, but its reluctance to do so suggests that there are more important imperatives than the protection of human life that justify the exemption.

I profoundly hope that Canada will emerge from the ATT negotiations as a leader in getting the strongest possible treaty.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth May, O.C., M.P.

Member of Parliament for Saanich – Gulf Islands
Leader of the Green Party of Canada

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Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada (MP for SGI) stated, “Canadians do not want to legitimize torture under any circumstance.  The Conservative government is out of step with the values of Canadians.” 

This latest barrage on Human Rights reverses a previous Conservative policy, which once insisted the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) would discard information if there was any inkling it might be tainted.  They are now encouraged to use this information, even if it is obtained via torture.  Equally alarming is the admission that such information would not only be shared with Canadian police, but that CSIS would pass it to relevant foreign agencies as well. Amnesty International Canada decried the action saying, “Information obtained under torture has no place in the justice system, full stop.”

A federal inquiry by Justice Dennis O’Connor into the Maher Arar torture affair recommended in 2006 that policies include specific directions “aimed at eliminating any possible Canadian complicity in torture, avoiding the risk of other human rights abuses and ensuring accountability.”

According to the December 2010 directive, the government expects the spy service to “make the protection of life and property its overriding priority.”  It also states that in “exceptional circumstances,” where there is a threat to human life or public safety, urgency may require CSIS to “share the most complete information available at the time with relevant authorities, including information based on intelligence provided by foreign agencies that may have been derived from the use of torture or mistreatment.” 

Green Human Rights Critic Joe Foster commented, “If property is an overriding priority, that would explain overlooking abuses of Canadian mining companies and the push for trade, regardless of human rights concerns.”  He continued, “What about those being tortured, whether they be innocent or not? What about the threat to their human life?  Our values towards basic human rights are being eroded.  One can only surmise that the Prime Minister now condones torture if it provides the information he wants.”

“Canadian law enforcement and security agencies should focus on getting rid of information that bears the taint of torture, not on carving out exceptions for when it can be used,” said Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.

“If we are to remain a civilized nation, then there is never justification for torture,” said Foster.

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On Tuesday, the committee heard from Alex Neve, Secretary General, Amnesty International Canada, on the persecution of the Coptic Christian community in Egypt.  Neve provided three reports to the committee.

Links:

• Broken Promises: Egypt’s Military Rulers Erode Human Rights
• Women Demand Equality in Shaping New Egypt
• 10 Steps for Human Rights: Amnesty International’s Human Rights Manifesto for Egypt

Neve also noted concern for Naser Al-Raas, a Canadian tortured in Bahrain, in imminent danger of being returned to prison.

On Thursday, the committee heard from Colonel Wesley Martin, U.S. Army (retired), who appeared as an individual.  He presented information on Camp Ashraf, Iraq, and detailed recommendations for the protection of the 34,00 men and women there.  Two committee members, Wayne Marston (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, NDP) and Hon. Irwin Cotler (Mount Royal, Lib.), stated they would like to see the subcommittee reach a decision on recommendations at its meeting on Tuesday, December 13.

As well, Irwin Cotler moved the motion by Russ Hiebert (South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, CPC) from the previous parliament, which included reference to Ms. Shin Sook-ja and her two daughters, who may still be imprisoned in North Korea.  The motion was adopted by consensus.  Mr. Cotler noted that the adoption of the motion would be announced at the Council for Human Rights in North Korea meeting in Toronto on December 9.

The post Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development (SDIR) appeared first on Elizabeth May.

Joe Foster, Green Party Human Rights Critic, urges the Canadian Government to take immediate action to put pressure on the government of Bahrain regarding Naser.  Foster stated, “The charges should be dropped and the sentence should be quashed. He definitely should not go to prison.”

What Bahrain is calling a “crime“ is the internationally recognized right of freedom of expression, association and assembly. It is a universal right (Article 20) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Bahrain is one of the Gulf States facing the Arab Awakening:  people protesting for their rights and democracy.  The Pakistan Green Party has also urged action, noting that Bahrain has also sentenced medics who treated protesters injured in the crackdown.

Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands and Leader of the Green Party stated, “It is essential that Canada takes its traditional role of championing human rights and democracy during the process of finding peaceful solutions in response to the Arab Awakening.”

Amnesty International has started a campaign to drop the case against Naser:

http://www.amnesty.ca/iwriteforjustice/take_action.php?actionid=786&utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Informz

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