NEWS RELEASE
May 8th, 2006
UN Experts question Canada’s inaction on poverty, housing, aboriginal
rights
GENEVA - “Many of the issues our committee raised in 1993 and 1998 are
unfortunately still live issues today,” said Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay,
a member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights during
the committee’s review of Canada’s performance. “ Years later, the situation
appears to be unchanged, and in some respects worse. There is continuing
homelessness and reliance on food banks, security of tenure is not still
not enjoyed by tenants, child tax benefits are still clawed back, (...)
the situation of aboriginal peoples, migrants and people with disabilities
doesn’t seem to be improving.”
“The Committee is right to challenge Canada to address the depth of poverty
which has left the most marginalized people worse off than ever before.
There are still too many people who are still denied adequate housing,
a decent standard of living, and access to health and higher education,”
said Aimée Clark, from the National Anti-Poverty Organization, one of
the Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) participating in the
Committee review currently held in Geneva.
Several committee members were disturbed by the lack of investment in
social programs and by continuing high poverty rates of the most marginalized
(women, aboriginal peoples, people of colour and immigrants) and wondered
why this has happened when the government is enjoying budget surpluses
year after year.
Canada was asked about a number of aboriginal issues, including the Six
Nations and the Lubicon Nation land claims, and on-going issues about
discrimination against women under the Indian Act. The Committee
also expressed serious concern about the disproportionately high rates
of violence (including murder) inflicted against Indigenous girls
and women in Canada, and raised the correlation between high rates
of homelessness among girls and sexual abuse in the home.
Today, Committee members are expected to ask further probing questions
about Canada’s compliance. Issues to be covered include housing, social
assistance, employment insurance, education and health. The committee
also wants to know how Canada will improve accountability through domestic
laws. “Economic and social rights must be enforceable rights, not just
distant goals,” said Vince Calderhead with the Charter Committee on Poverty
Issues. “That’s why we are pleased that the Committee is asking why our
federal and provincial courts and human rights commissions don’t give
enough consideration to economic and social rights and why governments
continually deny they are accountable to economic, social and cultural
rights in court.”
The Review began on Friday May 5th and will end today, May 8 th. Participating
in the review process are Canadian NGOs, representing the First nations,
African Canadians, women, poor people as well as legal experts. The UN
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is expected to submit
its concluding observations on May 19th, 2006.
For more information, please contact:
In Canada: Dennis Howlett (National Anti-Poverty Organization) 613-889-0141
Beth Berton-Hunter (Amnesty International Canada) 416 363-9933 #32
In Geneva: Josephine Gray, (Low-Income Families Together, LIFT) 416 827
7119
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