As we stand on the precipice of a pivotal juncture in Middle Eastern politics, Canada’s path forward must be paved with principled leadership, unwavering in its dedication to human rights and international justice.

This is not about other peoples and other conflicts. This is about us all. We are witness and we are complicit. We are watching real time genocide in Gaza. Acknowledge and claim that. We must. We cannot lie or pretend. We know.

And we are only powerless if we remain silent.

These unending years of lawless contempt for the fundamental tenets of the rule of law cannot go on indefinitely. The reconsideration application offers an opening for the Supreme Court to tackle this injustice and play its role as a guarantor of rights and justice.

It is regrettable that the government is not doing so of its own accord. But it is not too late to end this unconscionable disregard for human rights. The government could and should take that step today.

Things were bad enough when we were in Northeast Syria in August. The situation has only worsened since and seems slated to become more dire. What is needed is not protracted litigation. What is needed is a political decision to bring all Canadians home from there, to hold them accountable in our legal system if warranted. It is time for human rights to prevail.

With this statement we have begun to line up behind international law, which for too long has been pushed to the sidelines for Palestinians. Words matter, very much. Actions, though, show the truth and strength of our convictions. Actions make the difference in the end.

Against this backdrop, before and since October 7th, confrontational rhetoric that the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court should play no role in responding to the unrelenting violence in Israel/Palestine only deepens divisions. Of course none of this will be solved, magically and overnight, by either of these important international courts. But what a difference it would be to allow laws, human rights and judges to take over from 2,000 pound bombs, rockets and the hate and fearmongering of politicians.

Let there be no more equivocating statements from Canada when it comes to the vital role that international law and courts must play in preventing genocide in Gaza, and in ensuring justice and accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories as well as in Israel. 

And let that not be exceptional, let it become Canada’s clear mantra with respect to grave human rights crises anywhere in the world. The bottom line must always be full respect for international human rights and international humanitarian laws, backed up by full and yes, unwavering, support to national and international courts as they seek to enforce those laws and hold perpetrators accountable.  Only then might the ache of humanity’s heart and weeping of humanity’s soul begin to ease.

The treatment of Palestinian rights advocacy as hateful, racist, discriminatory, defamatory, or otherwise wrongful inverts both fact and law. When such advocacy calls for action to address ongoing gross violations of the international protected rights of Palestinians, including with respect to apartheid and genocide, and draws attention to Canada’s continuing abdication of its international legal obligations, far from being restricted or limited, speech of that nature should be respected and protected.

Universal human rights are today’s dignity and tomorrow’s survival, for us all. Some may say that is unrealistic naivety.  I say there is no other road to travel.

Human rights are foundational to all else. They are universal in all respects. Human rights violations can and must be prevented. Effective human rights protection depends on meaningful international cooperation. And there must be justice and accountability to back up and enforce human rights promises.

Easy as that. It lies in our hands friends. Let that be your semisesquicentennial pledge.

Remarks delivered at Northern Justice Watch’s International Conference on Genocide and Crimes against Humanity, University of Toronto Scarborough, December 3, 2023

It all begins with human rights. No matter the challenge. That lies on all our shoulders and within all our hands.

Remarks delivered at the University of Toronto’s International Human Rights Program on November 21, 2023

While this is overwhelming, there is so much that can be done. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must call for an immediate ceasefire in line with Canada’s legal obligations and the raison d’être of international humanitarian and human rights law. His government must also support legal proceedings and investigations underway at the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court; impose a ban on arms transfers to the region; and scrupulously uphold freedom of expression and protections against hate in Canada.

The Canadian government’s actions will be judged by history and are under scrutiny today. Now is the moment to breathe life – Palestinian life – into Canada’s commitment to the international legal system.

How can it not be enough for all of us to shout, as we do – from the bottom of our souls and the top of our hearts – STOP.

It all comes down to the simple truth that the way toward peace in Israel and Palestine lies in fully respecting international human rights and humanitarian law.

That means the rights of Israeli and Palestinians alike – an approach which must now define the way Canada deals with this crisis.

For all who say this is not the time to discuss the wider human rights context to this conflict, we say there has never been a more necessary time.

There are many truths in Gaza, Israel & the West Bank. One truth does not deny another. They are truths that stand alongside each other. They are truths that must be heard & understood equally. These truths are not to be followed by ‘but’, yet they always are.

There is much to be done in northeast Syria to ensure human rights are respected and the region does not again become a nightmare of insecurity and terrorist violence.

It is time for Canada to show up.

Human rights are not just beacons of hope; they are binding obligations that provide a roadmap for a just and sustainable world. It’s time for governments across Canada to earnestly and collectively embark on this journey.

A groundbreaking meeting to be held on June 20 in Halifax is likely to proceed with little fanfare. However, given the subject matter, it should be front-page news across the country.

This is, after all, the inaugural meeting of the Forum of Ministers on Human Rights – the first time in Canadian history that the ministers responsible for human rights in the country’s 14 federal, provincial and territorial governments get together to discuss, oversee and make decisions about human-rights protection in the country.

On June 8, Canada and The Netherlands jointly filed an application against Syria before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, alleging systematic violations of the UN Convention Against Torture.

The author argues that a national framework for international human rights implementation is needed. The framework would be grounded in the principles of ­co-operative federalism and the national concern doctrine to strengthen intergovernmental ­mechanisms for consistent international human rights implementation. The proposed recommendations for the national framework range from advancing incremental changes to adopting new legislation.