Canada: A Leader in Human Rights?

Canada's International Participation in Question

With election day soon approaching, Canadians are questioning the actions and promises of their leaders. 

Federal leaders are under high scrutiny as people across the country decide who they want to put into power. An issue concerning many canadians today is Canada's role in international human rights issues.   Many canadians are criticizing Canada's global actions.  Can Canada be called an international leader for human rights?

Amnesty International, an independent organization that fights for human rights around the world, has been closely watching Canada's global involvement, and has come to the conclusion that Canada is showing a negative example in international participation.  However, Amnesty International requires that we solve issues that happen within our own country first.  Many of us do not realize the problems and inequality that fellow Canadians.  Amnesty International released a report on April 11th, 2011 that describes specifically what leaders must do in order for Canada to regain its status as international leader in human rights.  This report, titled "Getting Back on the Rights Track"   is pushing upcoming leaders to change their political actions.  It is mandatory that the winning party adheres to the report.  

The report states:

"Globally, Canada’s standing as a reliable human rights champion has dropped precipitously."

The report calls upon many international and local issues that need addressing.  

Local Issues include:

• Business and Human Rights
• Indigenous Rights
• The Rights of Refugees and Migrants
• Protecting Canadians abroad
• Women's Human Rights
• Dissent and Advocacy

The International Issues addressed are:

• Maternal Health Rights
• Economic, social and Cultrural Rights
• Rights in the Middle East
• Continued Leadership in the abolishment of the death penalty
• International Obligations
• Universal Human Rights

The report addresses the Indigenous People issue in Canada.  “It is Canada’s most serious and longstanding human rights failing that needs to be fixed.”  - Beatrice Vaugrante, Director General of the francophone branch of Amnesty International Canada.   The treatment of Indigenous People in Canada is a concern, while many Indigenous people do not have access to clean water and/or other necessities.  Many are experiencing violence and discrimination, especially women and girls.  Indigenous People have expressed what they want to see done by the government.   Federal Parties are urged to close equality gaps between Indigenous People and the rest of Canada's population.  This is a description of just one of the many issues addressed in the report.  


Canada is a peaceful country and should maintain its good reputation as leader by helping those who have inequal rights in our own country, and keeping an international voice.  The Human Rights issue is very much a global issue, and Canada's actions and decisions can greatly affect the rest of the world.  I think that it is very important that our elected federal government adheres to this report in order to create a peaceful global community.  This report is an informational and helpful read for Canadians who wish to make an educated vote. I believe that voters concerned about Canada's involvement in international Human Rights Issues should read the report: Getting Back on the Rights Track thoroughly and question the actions of their party leaders before making a decision. 

Population and the Environment

Rising population, rising environmental concerns Tuesday April 5th

In the past century, our global population has grown more quickly than ever before in history.  With improvements in technology, healthcare, education and development, human lives have been made easier, allowing us to live longer in general and support ourselves comfortably.  As a result, there were fewer deaths, causing the population to explode over the 20th century.  Should we be concerned about our current and future global population?

Many people believe that the large numbers we see todayare the cause of environmental destruction, and if our global population continues to grow at the rate it's going, there will be an environmental crisis that will greatly affect humans as a whole.  A large population needs a certain amount of support and resources in order to thrive.  In developed countries, many humans depend on certain services and industries to continue living the way they are now.  Developed countries tend to consume more than others as they have higher access to new technology.  This can pose threats to our ecosystems as large industries emit gases and waste during the process of production and transportation.  Environmentalists believe that deforestation, the emission of greenhouse gases and global warming are directly linked of affected by our large global population.  However, this may not be directly linked to population.  Many argue that single developed countries with smaller populations are more to blame for pollution from consumption than certain less developped countries that have massive populations.  America makes up 4% of the global population, but "for many resources is the world's largest consumer in absolute terms." -Population and Natural Resources, AAAS. See Link.

The map below displays countries' global consumption rates.  Countries coloured in red consume the most, and as the colour gets lighter, the consumption rates are smaller.  We can see that the United States has one of the highest rates of consumption, while countries with very large populations such as India have much lower rates of consumption.


Pollution due to great amounts of consumption may or may not be directly linked to global population issues, however, there is a definite solution to overpopulation.

This comes in the form of contraception.  Many women in developed countries have easy access to contraceptives, while some women in less developed countries are not as educated on contraceptive use, and may face moral, religious or cultural barriers regarding contraceptives.  Lack of information or access to contraceptives and family planning means that many women are having large families.  Social norms are also a factor in family size.  In our country, it is normal to have a small amount of children, about 2-5, while in many African countries, family sizes are considerably larger. 

Overpopulation is a definite cause of global warming, according to leaders at the Copenhagen Summit.