Address by Minister Dion at a workshop for civil society organizations

Speech

Let’s work together for human rights

June 6, 2016 - Ottawa, Ontario

Check against delivery. This speech has been translated in accordance with the official languages policy and edited for posting and distribution in accordance with the Government of Canada’s communications policy.

Each and every one of you—members of more than 40 of Canada’s leading human rights and civil society organizations—works tirelessly to promote inclusion, pluralism and human rights. The freedom you seek for the world is born out of recognition that the struggle is, at its heart, a struggle for the universal and inseparable freedoms we enjoy and celebrate as Canadians and that all of humanity seeks for itself.

And today, in this building named for Lester B. Pearson, before all of you, on behalf of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the entire government, I would like to commend your efforts to promote human dignity.

Dignity that is all too often dismissed, trampled on and attacked from every side, particularly by what can only be called the syndrome of mistrust, the spread of that false belief that the difference―be it cultural, religious, ethnic or political―of “the other” is a threat.

Communities and populations that have lived peacefully side by side, forging family ties, have come to fear, hate and attack each other. The Cold War has gradually been succeeded by the exacerbation of tribal tensions, the clash of old nationalisms, the revolt against glaring inequalities, the corrosive impact of endemic corruption, the aggravating effects of climate change and other ecosystem deteriorations and, of course, increased sectarian extremism, culminating in globalized terrorism.

A millenarian, apocalyptic ideology has also emerged—an unacceptable distortion of the Qur’an—that condemns to death all who refuse to submit to it. This ideology, whose first victims are Muslims themselves, must be fought with the utmost determination by all of civilization.

There has been a broad disrespect for international human rights law. We are seeing the rise of “illiberal democracies,” flouting their own laws and oppressing citizens and vulnerable groups.

Some of the more worrying phenomena include:

• violent extremism;
• harassment of human rights defenders for daring to speak out against human rights abuses and violations;
• religious and sexual minorities being the targets of extreme violence and hate;
• sexual and gender-based violence being committed against women and girls;
• the fact that children are abused, exploited and neglected, turned into instruments of war, trafficked or made to labour in inhumane conditions, deprived of an education and adequate health care and denied an opportunity to just be kids.

The first step in combatting these myriad violations of universal rights and making this world a better place—which is so desperately needed—is to be clear about our own convictions.

I believe that rights and freedoms―freedom of conscience, of expression, of religion, of assembly and of movement, and the right to life, safety and security, social justice and equality of opportunity―are universal rights inherent in every human being. I believe that democracy, social justice and equality of opportunity are universal in scope. I believe, too, that the quest for truth is multi-faceted: it advances through experimentation, diversity, tolerance and openness to cultures and knowledge.

At the same time, I am very conscious of the fact that it can be difficult to decide among the various convictions within me, such as the right to privacy versus the right to safety and security, or gender equality versus freedom of religion: I want equality for women, but I don’t want the state imposing women’s right to enter the clergy. I say that the best way to arrive at a fair solution is to take into account the foreseeable consequences of our decisions on others.

This is what I have dubbed “responsible conviction.” This guiding principle introduces the sense of responsibility into our convictions, in that we take into account the foreseeable consequences of our words and actions on others. Far from discarding our convictions in favour of pragmatism, responsible conviction demonstrates that taking consequences into account is the way to decide among our various convictions.

Inspired by its convictions, the Canadian government is resolved to promote universal human rights and to do so by drawing on strong relationships with you [present today]. Here are some highlights of Canada’s response so far.

We have:

• made unprecedented contributions at the recent World Humanitarian Summit and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria;
• deployed a comprehensive political, diplomatic, military and development plan to counter ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] in Iraq and Syria and support the broader region;
• joined the International Syria Support Group;
• affirmed our unreserved adherence to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People;
• obtained a seat at the Commission on the Status of Women;
• created the new Office of Human Rights, Freedoms and Inclusion; and tripled its budget compared to its predecessor;
• put an end to the arbitrary approach Canada recently pursued with respect to the death penalty: Canada will pursue clemency in every single case, everywhere;
• announced our support for the full range of sexual and reproductive health services in development programming;
• resettled Syrian refugees and continued to welcome more;
• tasked all Canadian heads of mission (ambassadors, high commissioners and consuls general) to make the promotion of human rights, freedoms and inclusion part of their core objectives and included these priorities in their annual performance measurements;
• planned to implement a more transparent and rigorous approach to human rights reporting and to begin the formal process of acceding to the Arms Trade Treaty;
• endeavoured, with your help, to make sure that the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture [and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment] will no longer be optional in Canada;
• opened our doors to groups like yours so we can benefit from your views early and often.

If we are to act with optimal effectiveness and responsible conviction, bilateral engagement is not enough. Multilateral action is essential. That is why the Government of Canada is re-engaging in multilateral institutions, especially the UN, and including the Security Council, where we hope to be an active and constructive member. We will also re-engage multilaterally as participants in peacekeeping operations. A number of our allies are calling on us to act, especially in francophone territories, where there are many fragile states and where most Blue Helmets [UN peacekeepers] are deployed.

The driving approach of the Canadian government is the need for engagement. It is often a mistake to sever all ties with a regime that we dislike. Engagement is not to be confused with agreement. On the contrary, we must speak to such regimes frankly, with a view to effecting positive change.

Let us not minimize our importance. With effective diplomacy and armed forces, solid and varied expertise in development assistance, technological and intellectual know-how, a tremendously innovative and entrepreneurial spirit and a vibrant and dynamic NGO [non-governmental organization] community, Canada has the means to help make the world a better place. Let us put these strengths to use for the good of the world.

When [UN Secretary-General] Ban Ki-moon said recently in Austria that he was “alarmed by the growing xenophobia here [Austria] and elsewhere,” he was appealing to all of us. And Canada must respond to this cry from the heart. Acting responsibly and with conviction, Canada must prove itself a human rights champion, a determined peacebuilder.

Thank you.

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Hon. Stéphane Dion Global Affairs Canada Government and Politics