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RE: The U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesThe Right Honourable Stephen Harper September 19, 2007 Dear Prime Minister Harper: I am writing on behalf of The Council of Canadians to express our profound disappointment that Canada voted against the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. On September 13, 2007, 143 countries voted in favour of the Declaration while Canada joined the U.S., Australia and New Zealand in voting against it. Despite strong support from all other main political parties in Canada as well as the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs in the Canadian Parliament, your government has unilaterally reversed Canada’s historical support for theDeclaration. By failing to support such an important international declaration, your government has seriously damaged Canada’s international reputation as a leader in Indigenous and Human rights. The legacy of human rights abuses of the 370 million Indigenous people globally is appalling, as is your government’s decision to vote against a human rights declaration that clearly affirms the rights of Indigenous peoples. Yours sincerely, Maude Barlow |
