The federal government has come halfway in improving the country’s human rights record. A year-end assessment by Amnesty International finds progress on half of the human rights recommendations included in the organization’s December 2015 Human Rights Agenda for Canada. The government has failed when it comes to protection of Indigenous rights, which are among the areas where the … Read more
Treaty 8 First Nations and their supporters say an ongoing court battle over the massive Site C hydro-electric dam in Northern British Columbia wouldn’t be necessary if the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) kept his promises. “Anyone who reads the environmental assessment report can see that the Site C dam is an indisputable threat to our … Read more
Human rights must be a top priority during the North American Leaders’ Summit in Ottawa, said Amnesty International in an Open Letter to United States President Barack Obama, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) The letter was shared with the leaders in advance of the June 29th Summit, providing … Read more
On Parliament Hill, the Native Women’s Association of Canada, Am I Next campaign, Amnesty International Canada, and the Canadian Federation of Students sent a powerful message to the government of Canada: half a million petition signatures supporting a strong and effective national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.“For nearly 20 years the Native … Read more
Amnesty International welcomes legislation tabled by the government of Canada to enshrine the equality rights of transgender individuals in Canadian law and protect them from hate crimes. The important move will uphold the human rights of individuals who are vulnerable to significantly heightened levels of discrimination and violence, in Canada and worldwide. “Transgender individuals across Canada … Read more
Human rights defenders, torture survivors, parliamentarians and youth activists celebrated a significant milestone following the announcement that Canada has committed to joining an important UN torture prevention treaty. Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent, Que.) made the announcement in Ottawa as he accepted more than 50,000 Amnesty International petition signatures calling on Canada to help … Read more
More than 25 organizations from across Canada (including Amnesty International, the David Suzuki Foundation, and Sierra Club BC) released an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.). The letter urges Trudeau to take immediate action to halt construction of the Site C dam in northeastern British Columbia, denouncing the project for violation of rights … Read more
Amnesty International announced that 12 organizations released a comprehensive set of recommendations that should form the basis of Canada’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis. The organizations have decades of wide-ranging experience in refugee resettlement, protection and advocacy, and include the Syrian Canadian Council which has been at the forefront of highlighting the pressing needs of Syrian … Read more
Amnesty International welcomes the news that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have laid criminal charges against a Syrian official for the torture of Canadian citizen Maher Arar almost 13 years ago. It represents a tremendous advance in Mr. Arar’s longstanding quest for justice, truth and reparation for the grave human rights violations he experienced … Read more
Secretary-General of Amnesty International Canada Alex Neve expressed disappointment with the Senate’s amendments to Bill C-279 on Gender Identity on Feb. 25. “The original Bill is what was needed. If Senators passed the bill in Committee with no amendments, we would be well on our way to having life-saving human rights protections in place in a matter … Read more
