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INSIDE THE FLAWED MIND OF OUR FOREIGN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
In February, REAL Women of Canada, along with
over 100 NGO's (non governmental organizations) participated
in the Foreign Affair's annual NGO Human Rights Consultations
in preparation for the forthcoming meeting of the Commission
on Human Rights to be held in Geneva, Switzerland in March-April
2005. This Consultation gave us excellent insight into the
mind-set of the mandarins at Foreign Affairs - and it's not
good.
The current Minister of Foreign Affairs, The
Honourable Pierre Pettigrew, reminded the Consultation meeting
that "this is a time of change", that "the
world has evolved enormously since the United Nations were
created 60 years ago." He stated we must continue to
uphold the "full range of human rights" and be "nimble
enough to pursue new rights agendas, such as sexual orientation
and gender identity." He repeated this statement at the
UN Commission Meeting in Geneva several weeks later, insisting
that human rights include protection on the basis of sexual
orientation. Mr. Pettigrew has a personal interest in this
provision, since he is known to be homosexual.
The next speaker to the Consultation was, Professor Stephen
Toope, President of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation,
an independent private foundation, established by the Liberal
government in 2002. Its purpose is to promote interaction
between researchers in social science and humanities, government
policy mandarins, the private sector, the arts community and
the volunteer sector. Professor Toope, told participants that
there are too many human rights resolutions and expectations,
made, but that there is insufficient ability and resources
to implement them.
David Maloney, Assistant Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs for Global Issues, spoke next and objected
to "cultural relativism" at the UN and stated he
believed that it was essential to promote the same rights
"we value in Canada," including religious freedom
for Baha'i to sexual orientation. But later, Mr. Maloney,
was seen brushing off members of the Chinese religious organization,
Falun Gong who were attending the Consultation and who had
raised objections to their religious persecution in China.
Mr. Maloney told them he wouldn't read their literature, and
that they were wasting time and their paper in giving it to
him!
Foreign Affairs policy advisor Chantale Walker
left no doubt where Canada stands on the "right to have
control over our sexuality and reproductive health" (abortion),
stating that Canada has been "fighting and fighting for
the paragraph" on this "right" and will "continue
to push this issue" internationally.
According to Ms Walker, Canada is in the process
of formulating a position on "sex workers" (prostitutes)
and that Canada's position will probably be the promotion
and protection of a full range of human rights for everyone
involved in sex work. This position, ties in with the House
of Commons, Justice Sub-committee which is currently pushing
this policy of decriminalization of prostitution. (See REALity,
March \ April, 2005 p. 9). Although this is not yet the law
in Canada or a "Canadian Value" as referred to above,
the Assistant Deputy Minister Maloney, the moderator, felt
free just the same to push the issue at the UN.
We were also advised that as part of the UN
decade on human rights education, a world program of action
for human rights education in primary and secondary schools
in Canada, will be approved by 2005-2007. There are currently,
regular federal and provincial consultations taking place
in order to implement this programme. We were advised that
a "Culture of Peace" falls under the human right
to education provision treaty. However, we were told that
resources were still needed before this programme can be implemented.
Sexual Orientation
A suggestion was made during the Consultation that homosexual
rights protection could begin by a resolution in Geneva against
torture, and this eventually would lead to full recognition
for homosexual rights. This tactic was said to be necessary
because some countries do not accept full homosexual rights
now. Foreign Affairs moderators at the Consultation however,
leaned towards "full human rights" for homosexuals,
rather than taking such a gradual position. When asked whether
"full human rights" included same-sex marriage,
John von Kaufman, a Foreign Affairs bureaucrat and activist,
responded that the state should not "discriminate"
in any way. Deirdre Kent (Special Rapporteur, Foreign Affairs)
responded that "civil marriage would not be in conflict
with freedom of religion, the position would be in line with
our domestic laws and interpretations." When asked if
denial of the right to marriage was an abuse of human rights,
Deirdre Kent replied that it is a question of discrimination,
the rights of same sex couples should be the rights of heterosexual
couples. Canada, she said, is trying to be coherent in terms
of domestic law and its international position. In this regard,
it was apparent that Ms Kent was speaking as though Canada
had already passed legislation redefining marriage to include
same sex marriage. (Note: the Consultation was held in February,
2005). Some mentioned that many countries attending the Human
Rights Commission Meeting in Geneva would have trouble with
any broad resolution on sexual orientation that included marriage.
The moderators felt however, there was a need for "an
evolution in thinking" and admitted that "we're
not there yet."
Moderator Deirdre Kent noted that Canada has
been following the increased momentum and awareness by treaty
bodies of "non-discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation." She observed that the former Liberal Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Bill Graham, (also a homosexual or bi-sexual),
had highlighted discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
and gender identity at last year's (2004) meeting of the Commission
on Human Rights, with Australia and New Zealand in support
of Canada's position. We were then told that Brazil's resolution
on sexual orientation, co-sponsored by Canada, which was unsuccessfully
introduced at the 2003 and 2004 Commission meetings in Geneva,
would not be tabled this year, as the "timing is not
best". The representative from Amnesty International
expressed concern that the "process" might be abandoned
after having spent so many years working on it.
He need not have worried however, as Canada,
along with 32 other countries tabled a statement at this year's
Commission meeting titled, "Non-Discrimination and Sexual
Orientation" on April 15, 2005 at the Geneva Conference,
criticizing the Commission for its failure to recognize sexual
orientation as a human right. The struggle on the issue continues.
John Fisher of ARC (Allied Rainbow Communities) International
who was formerly Executive Director of the Ottawa based homosexual
lobby group EGALE, expressed his "appreciation for the
leadership role Canada has been playing on this issue (sexual
orientation) internationally. Canada joined Brazil and encouraged
other countries to come forth on the issue. The representative
from the Civil Liberties Association of Canada expressed appreciation
for John Fisher's leadership on the issue, here in Canada.
The Foreign Affairs Consultation revealed
that there are various ways that "sexual orientation"
could be introduced into the UN Conventions, such as previously
mentioned, the convention against torture, or perhaps, in
the religious intolerance provisions, or those on health related
issues such as AIDS/HIV, or racism, or as a part of other
vulnerable groups' protection. According to Deirdre Kent,
this enriches the discussion on human rights. "There
is a need to show that this is not just a western issue...
we are exploring other nations who might be taking it up"
she continued. This tells us that pro-family NGOs at the Commission
must remain eternally vigilant!
Workshops held at the Consultation Meeting
Beijing +10
The Beijing + 10 workshop refers to a UN meeting
which was to be held at the UN in New York the following month
in March to discuss follow-up of the UN Conference on Women
held in Beijing, China in 1995. At this workshop, a representative
of EGALE, Linda Marie Joly wanted to broaden the definition
of gender to include transgendered women identities as a woman
were also subject to violence and discrimination, she said.
Gender crimes could be called "gender identified crimes."
EGALE is trying to have transsexual and transgender individuals
recognized. As the Foreign Affairs Policy Advisor on Women's
Equality, Chantale Walker replied that there is no specific
reference to "sexual orientation" in language used
at the UN. This was voted down last year. She specified that
"sexual orientation needs to be mainstreamed just as
gender does." She continued that "sexual orientation
is part of the Canadian Human Rights Act" and reiterated
that Canada's decision to mainstream sexual orientation internationally
is "consistent with Canadian law."
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
In the session on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, concern
was expressed that abstinence campaigns were gaining prominence.
An effort is being made internationally to roll together sexual
and reproductive health rights and sexual orientation within
the context of HIV/AIDS. The reason behind this rolling together
of the issues is that this would then give those pushing such
policies access to large sums of money that are being set
aside by the UN and others for AIDS prevention.
Some wanted violence against women to be linked to HIV/AIDS
as well, for the same reason, i.e. access to the funds. At
the subsequent Geneva conference, held a month later in March,
sure enough, a resolution by Poland was amended by Canada,
New Zealand and the European Union to include the insertion
of controversial guidelines on HIV and sexual orientation
including legal punishment for those who speak out against
homosexuality, abortion on demand, same-sex marriage, and
legalized prostitution These guidelines had been rejected
at the UN Conference on AIDS held in New York, in June, 2001,
(See REALity , Sept/Oct, 2001 p. 12).
It took three days of ferocious lobbying and
intense negotiations (by our pro-family NGOs' including REAL
Women) to overcome pressure to insert these guidelines. Our
efforts however, met with overwhelming success.
Rights for Drug Addicts
The representative from the NGO Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network,
Joanne Csete, at the Consultation raised the rights of drug
users and the rights of the addicted. She insisted it was
important to revisit the "antiquated UN drug conventions."
She was annoyed at US interference with "humane measures
that are not abstinence based" in relation to drug use.
A Critism of US at Consultation
Noticeably, it is acceptable behaviour at the Foreign Affairs
Consultation to sneer at "our neighbors to the south"
(the US) and complain about the "hostile amendments"
to resolutions and "resistance" to sexual and reproductive
rights to health (abortion), made by the US delegation.
Other Comments Made at the Consultation
- Efforts to abolish the death penalty in countries which
still have it, were praised. The death penalty is a kind of
torture, we were told. Waiting on death row was inhuman, cruel,
degrading treatment and is considered by many to be a violation
of human rights. This may be mentioned in Canada's report
to the UN monitoring Committee on the Rights of the Child,
when we make our official report to that committee as required
under the Treaty's provisions.
- The pro-abortion organization, Action Canada for Population
and Development (ACPD) complained that last year in Geneva,
those supporting the "right to health" (abortion)
were "viciously attacked" (meaning others strongly
disagreed).
Paul Meyer, Canada's permanent representative at the Human
Rights Commission in Geneva sanguinely responded to this claim,
that "it is better to hear the exchange rather than not."
- The Native Women's Association of Canada
wanted the term "racialized sexual violence" to
be inserted in UN documents as well as mainstreaming an "indigenous
gender perspective." Chantale Walker suggested "if
we don't get it in violence we could put it into human rights
mainstreaming, we can work on the language later."
- Sheila Regehr, Director, Policy and External
Relations, Status of Women, praised the recent establishment
of a House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of
Women, "what comes out of their hearings will help shape
whatever Canada's future will be" she said.
- Julie Delahanty, Director, Gender Equality
Division, of the Canadian International Development Agency,
(CIDA) suggested that women should try to get integrated into
the Millennium Development Goals, the agenda for the millennium.
We must make sure Beijing Plan of Action on Women, and CEDAW
(Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination
Against Women) are incorporated into this, she said. We need
to integrate gender-based analysis into the World Social Forum
agenda.
In summary, Canada is continuing to export
its extremist feminist\homosexual agenda onto the world through
the UN, while keeping this hidden from the ordinary taxpayer
who knows nothing of this.
In terms of the big picture, it has become
apparent that many national delegations are becoming increasingly
concerned about Canada's relentless determination to impose,
sometimes covertly, a set of values on the international community
that would ride roughshod over the political, cultural, and
religious objections of many nations. Who gave the Foreign
Affairs authority to do this? Not the Canadian public.
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