Organizations and community leaders across Canada are calling on the leaders of federal political parties to respect the dignity of refugees and vulnerable migrants during the upcoming election campaign. “It is a worldwide phenomenon, using vulnerable migrants and refugees as political ammunition – especially during election campaigns. We are disturbed that we are now seeing … Read more
Canada’s role to-date in addressing the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh has been supportive of improving living conditions in the camps and to consider possible resettlement of refugees in Canada, but fuller action is now urgently required.“The Canadian government has repeatedly stated that it is a priority to provide greater assistance to Bangladesh and has … Read more
With the threat of returns to Myanmar looming over Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, Amnesty International urged the Canadian government to act to help the refugees. “The Canadian government has repeatedly stated that it is a priority to provide greater assistance to Bangladesh and to put in place programs and resources that will better protect the … Read more
Amnesty International welcomes the federal government’s decision to cover the legal aid funding cuts to services for refugees and immigrants that were announced by the Government of Ontario in April 2019. “This announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.), Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti (LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, Que.) and Parliamentary Secretary to the … Read more
Reacting to the release on July 26, 2019 of the report of the External Review of the Extradition of Hassan Diab from Canada to France, Justin Mohammed, Amnesty International Canada’s Human Rights Law and Policy Campaigner made the following statement: “On behalf of Amnesty International, I would like to express our sincere disappointment with this latest outcome … Read more
Amnesty International Canada sent a letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.) and Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti (LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, Que.) urging the Government of Canada to investigate a Montreal-based agency Dickens & Madson, headed by Canadian citizen Ari Ben-Menashe, and the company’s contract with Sudan’s Transitional Military Council. The full letter … Read more
Canadian civil society organizations, including Amnesty International Canada, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam- Quebec, Project Ploughshares and the Rideau Institute, applauded the Government of Canada’s formal announcement of this country’s accession to the global Arms Trade Treaty. In particular they commend the Government of Canada for the legislative and regulatory … Read more
Baskut Tuncak, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and toxics, said on June 6 the government has “failed” to answer why it has not remediated massive levels of mercury contamination in a river near Grassy Narrows First Nation. In response, Craig Benjamin, Amnesty International Canada’s Indigenous Rights Campaigner, said: “We welcome these comments by an independent United … Read more
Responding to Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada said, “Governments in Canada, indeed Canadian society as a whole, have ignored and downplayed the shocking levels of violence faced by Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit persons. We … Read more
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, B.C.) and Green Party leader Elizabeth May (Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.) have publicly committed to participating in a federal leaders’ debate on women’s rights and gender equality in the lead-up to the October 2019 federal election. “We welcome the commitment made by the Bloc Québécois today to discussing women’s rights and gender equality … Read more
