UN Politics... How many are actually going 'hungry' in
Canada?
DATE: 2013.03.04
KEYWORDS: TRADE NATIONAL AGRICULTURE
POLITICS
PUBLICATION: cpw
WORD COUNT: 1036
Conservatives, UN food envoy embroiled in fresh war
of words over poverty report
OTTAWA _ The Harper government is once again
engaged in a war of words with a United Nations
agency.
Canada can't credibly preach human rights on the
international stage when too many of its own citizens
are going hungry, the UN's right-to-food envoy,
Olivier De Schutter, told The Canadian Press in an
interview.
His comments come on the heels of a report De
Schutter released Monday in Geneva at the UN Human
Rights Council that cited several Canadian government
policies as impediments to fighting poverty.
They include the cancellation of the long-form census
in 2009, the ongoing Canada-EU free trade
negotiations and the way Ottawa oversees the money it
transfers to the provinces for social services.
``That is worrying because Canada, like any other
country, is only credible when it preaches human
rights to others if it is irreproachable itself,'' De
Schutter said.
``I think it is in the interest of Canada itself to have an
absolutely stainless reputation.''
Elissa Golberg, Canada's ambassador to the UN in
Geneva, fired back Monday, accusing De Schutter of
unfounded criticism of Canada's Constitution and its
federalist system of government.
``Canada has a number of concerns with the approach
that was adopted, as well as with some of the
conclusions drawn in the report,'' Golberg said.
``The special rapporteur has focused on some issues
that exceed his mandate.''
The spat renewed what has become a long-running
war of words between the Harper government and the
UN. The conflict has seen the government criticized by
a handful of UN committees for its rights record, while
Canada has staged high-profile walkouts of other UN
bodies for allowing despotic countries to speak or
participate.
But De Schutter said in an interview that Canada would
face a further reckoning at the UN because the
findings of his report would be ``one major piece of
evidence'' in front of future UN bodies assessing the
country's rights record.
Canada, he said, is a well-respected international
leader in civil and political rights, and that includes its
international development aid and food aid policies.
``In order to maintain its high reputation in this area,
it should do more in the area of economic and social
rights,'' De Schutter explained.
``It is also striking that on quite a few occasions,
various human rights bodies have addressed
recommendations to Canada concerning social and
economic rights that essentially Canada has not been
following up on.''
Last spring, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights criticized Quebec's Bill 78, which puts
limits on the size of demonstrations and sparked
major protests last year.
Ottawa fired back quickly, defending Quebec's right to
pass its own laws in a democratic environment.
A few weeks later, the UN Committee Against Torture
accused Ottawa of being ``complicit'' to human rights
violations committed against three Arab-Canadian
men held in Syria after 9-11.
The committee said Canadian officials played a role in
the poor treatment of Omar Khadr at Guantanamo Bay,
and criticized government delays in approving the
child soldier's request to serve out his sentence in
Canada.
Their report called on the federal government to issue
an official apology to Canadians tortured by foreign
jailers, including Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and
Muayyed Nureddin.
De Schutter's report said that policy decisions by the
Harper government _ including the cancellation of the
long-form census _ are undermining the fight against
hunger in Canada.
De Schutter said the government needs to get a better
handle on how many people are using food banks.
``They were, in principle, meant to be a very
temporary fix, a temporary stop gap in the system and
now they're becoming a permanent feature of the
Canadian landscape,'' he said.
``The reality is that the responsibility of government
begins by accepting to look at the reality.''
His report also criticized the federal government for
dismantling mechanisms that would have allowed it to
ensure that the provinces spend transfers on food and
housing for the disadvantaged.
``At the moment what we see is a real ping-pong
game going on between different levels of
government, and an ability of the local initiatives to be
supported,'' he said.
Golberg told the committee Monday that De Schutter's
report was an affront to Canadian federalism, and
``demonstrated a regrettable lack of understanding
with respect to Canada's constitutional framework and
the size and diversity of our nation.''
``Canada is disappointed that UN mechanisms have
often failed to appreciate the co-operative nature of
our multi-faceted and complex system of
government,'' she added.
``Canada does not see federalism as a problem or an
excuse.''
De Schutter's report urged Ottawa to create a national
food strategy to fight hunger among some of Canada's
most vulnerable, particularly aboriginals and people on
social assistance. It calls on Ottawa to spell out the
levels of responsibility between federal, provincial and
municipal governments.
Health Minister Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said
Monday that De Schutter was responsible for a ``one-
sided biased report, written by someone who chose to
ignore facts.''
``Implementing the recommendations in this report
would have a devastating impact on Canadians,
including a $48 billion tax hike,'' she said.
After his visit to Canada last year, Aglukkaq called De
Schutter ``ill-informed'' and ``patronizing.''
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney called him
``completely ridiculous.''
When asked about those attacks, De Schutter said the
cabinet ministers were simply playing to domestic
political considerations.
``I present a mirror to the government. I look at the
evidence. I go through the numbers. I listen to people.
And I report to the government about what I've been
seeing,'' he said.
``The mirror is one some people may not like to look
at. But shooting the person holding the mirror is not
the right answer.''
Alex Neve, the head of Amnesty International Canada,
said the report raises ``a very real human rights
issue'' that the government needs to take seriously.
``That's all the more reason why it's been particularly
disappointing to see how both last year, when the
special rapporteur carried out his mission in Canada,
and this year, we are not at all seeing a serious
response from the government,'' Neve said from
Geneva
http://206.75.155.11/Agcan/m.bbsummaries.asp?
articleId=/agcan/clips/130305/f02798BH.htm
Canada?
DATE: 2013.03.04
KEYWORDS: TRADE NATIONAL AGRICULTURE
POLITICS
PUBLICATION: cpw
WORD COUNT: 1036
Conservatives, UN food envoy embroiled in fresh war
of words over poverty report
OTTAWA _ The Harper government is once again
engaged in a war of words with a United Nations
agency.
Canada can't credibly preach human rights on the
international stage when too many of its own citizens
are going hungry, the UN's right-to-food envoy,
Olivier De Schutter, told The Canadian Press in an
interview.
His comments come on the heels of a report De
Schutter released Monday in Geneva at the UN Human
Rights Council that cited several Canadian government
policies as impediments to fighting poverty.
They include the cancellation of the long-form census
in 2009, the ongoing Canada-EU free trade
negotiations and the way Ottawa oversees the money it
transfers to the provinces for social services.
``That is worrying because Canada, like any other
country, is only credible when it preaches human
rights to others if it is irreproachable itself,'' De
Schutter said.
``I think it is in the interest of Canada itself to have an
absolutely stainless reputation.''
Elissa Golberg, Canada's ambassador to the UN in
Geneva, fired back Monday, accusing De Schutter of
unfounded criticism of Canada's Constitution and its
federalist system of government.
``Canada has a number of concerns with the approach
that was adopted, as well as with some of the
conclusions drawn in the report,'' Golberg said.
``The special rapporteur has focused on some issues
that exceed his mandate.''
The spat renewed what has become a long-running
war of words between the Harper government and the
UN. The conflict has seen the government criticized by
a handful of UN committees for its rights record, while
Canada has staged high-profile walkouts of other UN
bodies for allowing despotic countries to speak or
participate.
But De Schutter said in an interview that Canada would
face a further reckoning at the UN because the
findings of his report would be ``one major piece of
evidence'' in front of future UN bodies assessing the
country's rights record.
Canada, he said, is a well-respected international
leader in civil and political rights, and that includes its
international development aid and food aid policies.
``In order to maintain its high reputation in this area,
it should do more in the area of economic and social
rights,'' De Schutter explained.
``It is also striking that on quite a few occasions,
various human rights bodies have addressed
recommendations to Canada concerning social and
economic rights that essentially Canada has not been
following up on.''
Last spring, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights criticized Quebec's Bill 78, which puts
limits on the size of demonstrations and sparked
major protests last year.
Ottawa fired back quickly, defending Quebec's right to
pass its own laws in a democratic environment.
A few weeks later, the UN Committee Against Torture
accused Ottawa of being ``complicit'' to human rights
violations committed against three Arab-Canadian
men held in Syria after 9-11.
The committee said Canadian officials played a role in
the poor treatment of Omar Khadr at Guantanamo Bay,
and criticized government delays in approving the
child soldier's request to serve out his sentence in
Canada.
Their report called on the federal government to issue
an official apology to Canadians tortured by foreign
jailers, including Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and
Muayyed Nureddin.
De Schutter's report said that policy decisions by the
Harper government _ including the cancellation of the
long-form census _ are undermining the fight against
hunger in Canada.
De Schutter said the government needs to get a better
handle on how many people are using food banks.
``They were, in principle, meant to be a very
temporary fix, a temporary stop gap in the system and
now they're becoming a permanent feature of the
Canadian landscape,'' he said.
``The reality is that the responsibility of government
begins by accepting to look at the reality.''
His report also criticized the federal government for
dismantling mechanisms that would have allowed it to
ensure that the provinces spend transfers on food and
housing for the disadvantaged.
``At the moment what we see is a real ping-pong
game going on between different levels of
government, and an ability of the local initiatives to be
supported,'' he said.
Golberg told the committee Monday that De Schutter's
report was an affront to Canadian federalism, and
``demonstrated a regrettable lack of understanding
with respect to Canada's constitutional framework and
the size and diversity of our nation.''
``Canada is disappointed that UN mechanisms have
often failed to appreciate the co-operative nature of
our multi-faceted and complex system of
government,'' she added.
``Canada does not see federalism as a problem or an
excuse.''
De Schutter's report urged Ottawa to create a national
food strategy to fight hunger among some of Canada's
most vulnerable, particularly aboriginals and people on
social assistance. It calls on Ottawa to spell out the
levels of responsibility between federal, provincial and
municipal governments.
Health Minister Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said
Monday that De Schutter was responsible for a ``one-
sided biased report, written by someone who chose to
ignore facts.''
``Implementing the recommendations in this report
would have a devastating impact on Canadians,
including a $48 billion tax hike,'' she said.
After his visit to Canada last year, Aglukkaq called De
Schutter ``ill-informed'' and ``patronizing.''
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney called him
``completely ridiculous.''
When asked about those attacks, De Schutter said the
cabinet ministers were simply playing to domestic
political considerations.
``I present a mirror to the government. I look at the
evidence. I go through the numbers. I listen to people.
And I report to the government about what I've been
seeing,'' he said.
``The mirror is one some people may not like to look
at. But shooting the person holding the mirror is not
the right answer.''
Alex Neve, the head of Amnesty International Canada,
said the report raises ``a very real human rights
issue'' that the government needs to take seriously.
``That's all the more reason why it's been particularly
disappointing to see how both last year, when the
special rapporteur carried out his mission in Canada,
and this year, we are not at all seeing a serious
response from the government,'' Neve said from
Geneva
http://206.75.155.11/Agcan/m.bbsummaries.asp?
articleId=/agcan/clips/130305/f02798BH.htm
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