Canada rejects UN human rights recommendations
Steven Edwards, Canwest News Service Published: Tuesday, June 09, 2009
UNITED NATIONS -- Canada told the United Nations on Tuesday that more than half of the 68 recommendations other countries say will improve Canadian human rights standards cannot be fully accepted.
In an address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Canada rejected outright 14 of the recommendations, and partially rejected another 22.
In Ottawa, human rights activist groups expressed "disappointment" at Canada's response to the council's first pier review of Canada, which took place earlier this year.
The rejected or partially rejected recommendations touch on a range of issues, including racial discrimination, aboriginal rights, fighting poverty, and seeking clemency for Canadians facing the death penalty overseas.
The so-called Universal Periodic Review is the way the council, launched in 2006 to replace the discredited Human Rights Commission, assesses the respective human rights records of all 192 UN member states.
Many of the recommendations Canada rejected came from countries that themselves have questionable human rights records（世界上哪个国家的人权是完美的，加拿大这个借口找的真是厉害,人家不完美自己也无所谓了）.
Canada rejected, for example, a recommendation from Egypt that called for the training of judges and prosecutors on the nature of hate crimes based on race.
On the economic front, Canada rejected related recommendations from Russia and Ghana to launch a national poverty-elimination program. Canada said provinces and territories have jurisdiction （晕死，省有司法权，你国家都就不管啊，我看各位都脱离加拿大联邦，以各国名义参与联合国去提高自身人权好了，这样联邦政府就不会这么说了）in this area. On the question of the death penalty, Canada rejected calls by Denmark and the Netherlands to seek clemency for Canadians facing capital punishment in all cases, including where Canada considers the "rule of law" reigns.
In a statement, Amnesty International said Canada "has shown little commitment to take new steps to address serious human rights concerns in the country."
In Geneva, the 47-member council adopted Canada's response into the international record.