the morningside post

Canada Rolls Over: The Politics of Human Rights

By Tanya Domi
Adjunct Professor

Maxime Bernier, Canada’s Foreign Minister, announced last week that the ministry would rewrite a training manual for Canadian diplomats which listed the United States as an employer of torture methods, specifically citing the Guantanamo Bay Prison, after the U.S. government sharply rebuked its closest neighbor and ally. Bernier expressed regret for “embarrassment caused by public disclosure of the manual used in the department’s torture awareness training.”

Amnesty International released the training manual to the press which had been obtained through its legal action investigating alleged abuse of Afghan prisoners turned over to local Afghani authorities by Canadian soldiers. The Canadian torture awareness manual also listed China, Egypt, Israel, Iran, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Syria as states where persons could face possible torture.

Temperatures Rising to the North

Election Season Heating Up, Canada Losing its Cool?
By Ian Foucher

Once hailed as the nation of "cool," Canada, it seemed for a while, could do no wrong. Sure its motto of "peace, order and government" was less brazen than "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness;" but its achievements, it was said, were more emollient. These days, however, Canada's climate is heating up, leaving its politics lukewarm.

The Liberals and the Conservatives-leading factions of Canada's multi-party system-have both had a part in Canada's thawing: Liberals let order be gummed up by a multi-million dollar corruption scandal while Conservatives put a hold on peace by extending the country's commitment to the war in Afghanistan.

The Liberals have paid the price for their graft by being on the losing side of the last federal election, held in 2006, effectively ending their twelve-year reign. As for the Conservatives, the day of electoral judgment for the war has yet to come; but with a spring election fueling the political rumor mill, the public's verdict may arrive sooner than anticipated.