Canada and international human rights law: is the romance over?. Issue 3 (1st September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Akhavan, Payam
• Is Part Of: Canadian foreign policy. Volume 22:Issue 3(2016)
• Page Start: 331
• Page End: 338
• Publication Date: 2016-09-01
• Subjects: Canada -- international law -- human rights; Canada -- Foreign relations -- Periodicals; 327.71005
• DOI: 10.1080/11926422.2015.1114002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1192-6422

Abstract

Abstract: International law has occupied a central role in Canada's definition as a nation. The Canadian Bill of Rights, followed by the Canadian Charter, embodied the convergence of Canadian values and global values, a collapsing of the boundaries between national law and international law. Human rights represented a form of cultural self-expression, a set of unifying principles essential to the construction of a common political and cultural space. Yet recent years have witnessed a discernible retreat from this romance between Canada and international human rights law. Whether it is tolerating torture in the war on terror, wilful blindness to the suffering of indigenous people or aiding and abetting atrocities in the name of corporate greed, there is a growing divergence between Canada and the ideals it espouses. At a time when long-cherished ideals have come under increasing strain, it appears that Canada has grown disenchanted with its past romance with international human rights law.