The Canadian government’s oft politicized and contemptuous stances on human rights are increasingly revealing. Although instrumental abuse of sensitive human rights issues for political gain have been extensively denounced, some western regimes including Ottawa, which have a dismal human rights record at home, are increasingly resorting to ploys to so conspicuously transform rights issues into tools to settle scores.
Understandably, such politicized moves cloaked in “human rights concerns“ have taken many by surprise. There are valid grounds to believe that Ottawa by sponsoring a falsified and unsubstantiated draft resolution in the current session of the UN General Assembly is preoccupied with something other than human rights in Iran.
We simply cannot accept that Canadians have more altruistic sentiments towards Iranians than Iranians themselves. It is evident that Ottawa plans to bring a bilateral case of judicial nature to the world body with the aim of abusing human rights mechanisms and advance its own political interests.
The surprising paradox is that Canada, which claims to be a key player in the so-called global struggle for human rights, is itself a known violator of rights with its irresponsible and discriminatory policies towards its indigenous people and minorities.
Findings stipulated in a report of the Special Rapporteur on indigenous peoples indicate systematic discrimination in the criminal justice system in Canada along with persistent failures in education, health and economic development of aboriginals.
According to the Special Rapporteur, significant disparities still persist between the poor aboriginals and the rest of the population in areas of employment, access to water, health, housing and education, and by the failure of the government to fully acknowledge the barriers faced by African Canadians in restoring their rights under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Moreover poverty remains very high among the disadvantaged and marginalized individuals including the Afro-Canadians and immigrants.
By the same token, discrimination and blatant indifference toward human rights can be seen in that country’s foreign policy. In recent years the Ottawa government has embraced a more pro-Israeli orientation regarding the protracted Middle East conflict and has often toed the controversial US line on such an important international issue.
Ottawa also has taken a pro-Israeli stand while casting votes on UN resolutions condemning the “Israeli occupation of Arab lands“. It has traditionally abstained on a slew of resolutions introduced annually in the General Assembly. But in last few years it indicated that it would join the US and a few other countries in voting against three resolutions which were in favor of the oppressed Palestinians.
From what is known, Zionists have lobbied with senior Canadian officials to change Ottawa’s tradition of abstaining with the majority of industrialized countries when Arab states move their annual anti-Israel resolutions in the General Assembly.
Canada is visibly getting closer to Zionist regime while the human rights situation in the occupied territories goes from bad to worse. It is horrifying to read a report by the Special Rapporteur on the extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary trials and death of civilians and non-combatants, including women and children, as a result of the operations of the security forces or aerial bombing by Israeli forces.
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied territories notes that “there are gross, egregious and systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed not only by undisciplined and uncontrolled militias but by one of the most disciplined and sophisticated armies in the modern world, directed by a stable and disciplined government“.
There are points that need to be considered by reviewing the above-mentioned. Canadian human rights record indicates that that country should be seated in the defendant’s chair rather than the claimant. The hidden and selfish aims behind tabling a politically-motivated draft resolution contradict the purpose of nations that honestly seek to promote human rights at the universal level.
By crossing the line of fairness and honesty, Canada has deliberately attempted to spread distortions and falsifications about Iranian realities.
Under the conditions, it would be almost impossible for UN human rights mechanisms that are routinely abused for political ends, to create an environment where the promotion and protection of human rights can and should be ensured.
Human norms demand we bridge differences and strive for achievements in the common interest of human beings. We believe in the greatness of the human spirit because we all offer positive values to human societies and need cooperation rather than confrontation to improve bilateral and multilateral relations.