Canada and the United Nations Human Rights Council: At the Crossroads Interim Report Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights The Honourable Raynell Andreychuk Chair The Honourable Joan Fraser Deputy Chair May 2007 Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français This report can be downloaded at www.senate-senat.ca/rights-droits.asp Hard copies of these documents are also available by contacting the Senate Committees Directorate at (613) 990-0088 or at [email protected]. THE SENATE Canada and the United Nations Human Rights Council: At the Crossroads Interim Report Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights The Honourable A. Raynell Andreychuk, Chair The Honourable Joan Fraser, Deputy Chair MEMBERSHIP The Honourable A. Raynell Andreychuk, Chair The Honourable Joan Fraser, Deputy Chair And The Honourable Senators: Roméo Dallaire *Céline Hervieux-Payette, P.C., (or Claudette Tardif) Mobina S.B. Jaffer Noel A. Kinsella *Marjory LeBreton, P.C., (or Gerald Comeau) Sandra M. Lovelace Nicholas Jim Munson Nancy Ruth Vivienne Poy *Ex Officio Members In addition, the Honourable Senators George Baker, P.C., Sharon Carstairs, P.C., and Terry Stratton have participated in aspects of this study relating to the UN Human Rights Council. Staff from the Parliamentary Research Branch of the Library of Parliament: Laura Barnett, Analyst Ashley Barnes, Intern (Norman Paterson School of International Affairs) Staff from the Senate Committees Directorate: Josée Thérien, Clerk of Committee Louise Archambeault, Administrative Assistant Vanessa Moss-Norbury Clerk of the Committee i ii ORDER OF REFERENCE Extract from the Journals of the Senate, Thursday, April 27, 2006. The Honourable Senator Andreychuk moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Keon: That the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights be authorized to examine and monitor issues relating to human rights and, inter alia, to review the machinery of government dealing with Canada’s international and national human rights obligations; That the papers and evidence received and taken on the subject during the First, Second and Third Sessions of the Thirty-seventh Parliament and the first session of the Thirty-eighth Parliament be referred to the Committee; and That the Committee submit its final report to the Senate no later than March 31, 2007, and that the Committee retain until May 31, 2007 all powers necessary to publicize its findings. After debate, The question being put on the motion, it was adopted. Paul C. Bélisle Clerk of the Senate Extract from the Journals of the Senate, Thursday, March 29, 2007. … to extend the date of presenting its final report from March 31, 2007 to March 31, 2008 and that the Committee retain until June 30, 2008 all powers necessary to publicize its findings. The question being put on the motion, it was adopted. Paul C. Bélisle Clerk of the Senate iii iv TABLE OF CONTENTS MEMBERSHIP .............................................................................................................................................I ORDER OF REFERENCE .......................................................................................................................III FOREWORD................................................................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................. 3 CHAPTER 2 – THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AND TREATY BODY REFORM – A BACKGROUNDER............................................................................................................ 5 A. THE UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS..................................................... 5 1. The Commission............................................................................................................................... 5 2. An Assessment.................................................................................................................................. 7 B. THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL................................................................. 11 C. PROPOSALS FOR A UNIFIED TREATY BODY............................................................................ 13 CHAPTER 3 – A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL – THE INSTITUTION BUILDING PROCESS................................................................................................... 19 A. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................. 19 B. THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL’S ACTIONS TO DATE............................................................ 20 1. Membership ................................................................................................................................... 20 2. Chronology of Events..................................................................................................................... 21 a) First Main Session...................................................................................................................................... 21 b) First Special Session .................................................................................................................................. 22 c) Second Special Session.............................................................................................................................. 23 d) Second Main Session................................................................................................................................. 23 e) Third Special Session................................................................................................................................. 25 f) Third Main Session..................................................................................................................................... 26 g) Fourth Special Session............................................................................................................................... 27 h) Fourth Main Session .................................................................................................................................. 27 C. BLOC POLITICS............................................................................................................................... 29 D. THE UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW (UPR) ............................................................................. 33 E. SPECIAL PROCEDURES ................................................................................................................. 36 F. CIVIL SOCIETY ................................................................................................................................ 40 G. GLOBAL IMPRESSIONS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL – AN EVALUATION ............. 40 H. THE PROPOSAL FOR A UNIFIED TREATY BODY ..................................................................... 42 CHAPTER 4 – RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA ....................... 47 A. RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................... 47 1. Implementing the Council’s Rules, Mechanisms and Procedures ................................................. 47 2. Unified Human Rights Treaty Body ............................................................................................... 49 3. Canadian Foreign Policy............................................................................................................... 49 4. A Canadian Ambassador for Human Rights.................................................................................. 51 B. CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................................ 52 APPENDIX A : RESOLUTION CREATING THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ........................... 55 APPENDIX B: CONCEPT PAPER OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS .. 59 APPENDIX C: MEMBERSHIP LIST...................................................................................................... 89 v vi FOREWORD With an ongoing mandate to examine issues relating to human rights and to review the machinery of government dealing with Canada’s international and national human rights obligations, the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights took great interest in the launch of the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2006. Recognizing that human rights are an issue of great importance to Canada and Canadians, the Committee looked to the creation of the new Council as a potentially significant step forward for the international community in this regard. Bearing in mind that many countries, including Canada, understood that the United Nations General Assembly had simply came to an agreement on broad principles, the real work of setting up the Council would fall to the Council’s members. However, the media, advocacy groups, and governments, soon began to express concerns about the role being taken on by the Council and about its future sustainability as a viable instrument for ensuring the effective protection of human rights in the international sphere. The Senate Human Rights Committee accordingly took up a study of the Human Rights Council in its monitoring of Canada’s international human rights obligations. Canada and the United Nations Human Rights Council: At the Crossroads is the Committee’s publication of that study’s