By Fareed Khan
August 25th was the fifth anniversary of military operations launched by Myanmar against the Rohingya in their efforts to wipe out the minority community in what constituted genocide. Since that date other nations have egregiously violated the fundamental rights of vulnerable minorities, thereby flouting two foundational documents of the United Nations – the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Canada played a significant role in drafting both these documents. So it is logical that as a nation claiming to be a defender of the international rule of law it would be committed to seeing them enforced. The prime minister and his ministers routinely claim that “Canada is a rule of law nation” and supports the international legal order. But lack of action to defend these documents says otherwise.
As we get beyond this grim anniversary Canadians need to question this nation’s sincerity in claiming to be a defender of the international legal order – a dubious claim laced with hypocrisy and racism given Canada’s repeated failure to act on international human rights issues, including a failure to act to prevent genocide.
The Genocide Convention clearly defines genocidal crimes under Article II. It includes any one of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national racial or religious group:
a) Killing members of the group.
b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group.
c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.
d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.
e) Forcibly transferring children of one group to another group.
In 2017 when the Rohingya crisis was front page news many Canadians pleaded with Justin Trudeau’s government to invoke the Genocide Convention and designate Myanmar’s crimes as genocide. Instead Trudeau waited two months before appointing Bob Rae as a “special envoy” to study the matter. When Rae issued his report five months later the Trudeau government ignored most of its recommendations.
In September 2018 Canada finally became the first nation to officially recognize the Rohingya genocide by two unanimous resolutions in the House of Commons and Senate. The resolutions stripped Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her honourary Canadian citizenship, but did nothing more to hold Myanmar accountable. Also, when Canadian human rights groups provided evidence to the government of Canadian companies doing business with Myanmar’s genocidal regime the government did nothing to hold these companies accountable.
Ultimately, the tiny West African nation of Gambia became the Rohingya’s white knight when it filed a complaint under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice. Since then, in December 2019, September 2020 and July 2022, Canada has issued statements announcing it would support Gambia’s efforts without but has yet to follow through on the promises.
Canada’s failure to live up to its obligations under international law is not new. This nation has repeatedly failed to act in past similar crises, and examples abound – the Rwandan genocide, the Balkans genocide, the Darfur genocide. More recently, the Canadian government has done nothing in response to the genocide of the Uyghurs by China despite a Parliamentary resolution calling for action, and it has remained silent as ultra-nationalist and fascist Hindu politicians, have called for genocide of Indo-Muslims. In addition, Canada has failed to respond to Israeli politicians calling for genocide of Palestinians, including by a cabinet member.
In failing to live up to its international treaty obligations in these and other instances Canada demonstrates hypocrisy in its claims to being a defender of the international legal order.
Canada’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine also illustrates racism in its foreign policy, and that it has the ability to act forcefully to a crises if it wants. Immense resources and political capital have been (justifiably) committed to supporting Ukrainians (who are white and Christian) in defending their country from the Russian invasion. Compare that to the limited effort put forth to help non-white, non-Christian minorities in Asia and Africa who face horrors similar to what Ukrainians are facing.
The oppression and suffering of the Rohingya, Uyghurs, Indo-Muslims, Palestinians and others all require Canada to live up to the international treaties it signed, and support its claims to being a defender of the international legal order by putting actions behind its words. It is the only way these minority communities will have justice. Otherwise Canada’s claims are a fraud, and a stain on this nation’s reputation on the world stage, unless Canadian leaders choose to defend the human rights of all minority peoples with equal effort.
© 2022 Fareed Khan. All rights reserved.
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