Transcript Human Rights - Delta Learns

Human Rights
& CANADA
Global Movement for Human Rights
 Began in the 20th C
 World motivated by
atrocities of WW1, WW2,
Holocaust and the deaths
of millions under
dictatorships
 Reduce human trafficking
and child slavery
Universal Declaration of Human
Rights
 • UN adopted Dec 10, 1948
 “All people are born
free and equal and
dignity in rights”
UN Declaration & Canada
 The Canadian Federal
government and all provinces
signed and ratified the
Declaration
 Therefore, Canada is suspect
to international law
 Individuals can complain to
the HUMAN RIGHTS
COMMITTEE of the UN if
they believe that the Cdn gov’t
is not meeting UN standards.
Human Rights in Canada
 Significant impact for
minorities:
- Stop deporting Japanese
Canadians following WW2
- Chinese and East Indian
citizens allowed to vote
- Aboriginals allowed to vote
*A step in the right direction
but did NOT address
problems of RACISM and
DISCRIMINATION
Humans Rights in the CCRF
(Fundamental Freedom & Equality Rights)
• protect us from
discrimination by private
persons
• What does it mean to be
equal under the law?
• Age, gender, wealth, religion,
status, race, etc. are not
supposed to have any
bearing on how you are
treated under the law.
Human Rights • Charter protects civil rights (gov’t
and individuals)
• Human rights – laws passed to
ensure individuals are protected
from discrimination.
a. stereotyping - view that all
members of a group share the same
characteristics ;often based on
prejudice and ignores individual
differences
b. prejudice- negative
feeling/judgments we hold about
members of certain groups of people
c. discrimination- (only
discrimination breaks human rights
laws) process of acting on a
prejudice ; putting prejudice into
action
Reasonable Limits Clause
• Section 1 (not all rights and
freedoms are unlimited) the
reasonable limits clause
can set limits on R&F
if limits “can be demonstrably
justified in a free and
democratic society” (good of
the group)
• example: freedom of speech
Notwithstanding Clause
 Sec 33 gives Fed or Prov
an ESCAPE CLAUSE.
 Governments can pass
a law for 5 years that
can violate a specific
freedom
 ONLY used 2 times:
1) Saskatchewan (force
strikers back to work)
2) Quebec (French only
language bill)
BC Human Rights Code
 Protects against
discrimination of age,
ancestry, colour, family,
marital status, political belief,
race, religion, sex or sexual
orientation
 Code covers employment,
property purchases and
tenancy, facility usage and
hate propaganda
Children’s Rights
 1989 Un adopted the Rights


-
-
of the Child Convention
Children have social,
economic and cultural rights
Also, they have the right:
Not to be separated from
parents
Health and Education
No recruitment into armed
forces under age of 15
Child poverty remains a large
issue in Canada
Est. 1 million children live in
poverty in Canada (1 in 6)
Enforcing Human Rights
• Human rights law is
designed to compensate
victim
– (ie apology, rehire, etc) and
prevent similar incident in
future, not punish
respondent
• Respondent can face
criminal charges and
fine if they refuse to
obey tribunal
International Criminal Court
 War Crimes-killing and
torture of civilians
 Genocide- mass killing of
a ethnic or religious group
 Crimes against
Humanity- attacks
against civilians,
enslavement and torture
The Court's official
seat is in the Hague
Netherlands, but its
proceedings may take
place anywhere