A country of untold riches in natural resources. A geography of outstanding beauty, blessed with great fresh-water lakes and rivers. A territory encompassing almost half of North America. A richly heterogeneous population living together in reasonable harmony in a country that offers them safety, security of person, the right to practise their religion or ideology of choice; freedom of expression.
That offers equality of opportunity to its citizens, an excellent education and universal health care system. And the assurance of equality under the law, an assured egalitarianism upholding internationally-recognized tenets of human rights. Women are granted full rights and the exercise of opportunities alongside the opposite gender and other-gendered likewise.
From the tundra of our high-northern regions to the gentle rainforests and mountains of the British Columbia interior we celebrate our Canadianness. From the great wheat fields of Saskatchewan, the oil fields of Alberta, the manufacturing base of Ontario, the resourcefulness of Quebec, to the Maritimes and our sad fisheries, we are Canada.
This country of great natural wealth and a generally law-abiding and caring people has such a sterling reputation on the international level that we can barely cope with the applications received from abroad to emigrate here. This is a country with a collective and well-practised conscience - we go out of our way to do our best.
Yet we have seemingly insolvable problems sullying our self-regard and our sense of the rightness of things. We must find a solution, one way or another, to the dreadful embarrassment of a multitude of urgent needs unmet for our aboriginal populations. Their lives of unendurable misery are our responsibility, not only theirs. We must find ways to help them help themselves other than the failures of the past.
And the lately-released report from the United Nations Human Rights Council pointing out our monumental failure as a society to rescue vulnerable Canadians from homelessness and hopelessness, hunger and lack of personal safety resounds to our great shame. A UN representative, Miloon Kothari, having visited Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto as well as a number of rural areas identifies our shame.
Mr. Kothari has reached the inescapable conclusion that Canada is not in compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to which it is a signatory. "As evident from the situation on the street, (Canada has) failed to incorporate these international legal standards into policy and legislation that would have a practical impact", according to a report released by Mr. Kothari.
The gap between the wealthy and the poor has been widened. A country once hailed for its progressive policies in affordable housing, has seen a significant slide-back of public policy and intent, with a subsequent erosion of affordable housing for the poor. Mr. Kothari, on the strength of his UN position, has called upon Canada's federal government to pay attention to its failure to meet these needs.
Mr. Kothari is quick to point out that his recommendations are based on the obligations countries must face to live up to human rights conditions for their populations. He also points out that governments in the developed world are more involved with the market perspective and market forces playing out within their communities - the obvious reason for disparities between what governments are obliged to produce to protect their most vulnerable and their inclination to encourage market growth.
"We know that the Canadian government doesn't like to be shamed internationally", according to a senior public policy fellow with the Wellesley Institute, which may explain why the recently-delivered policy Speech From the Throne gave mention to affordable housing, indicating the current government acknowledges the issue as a priority.
We can only hope. And perhaps agitate a trifle more strenuously for additional efforts toward social justice in this country.
Labels: Canada, Justice, Political Realities, Viewpoint
posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, October 23, 2007
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