Canada, human rights, and the future of the liberal international order
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702018788550 |
| Published date | 01 June 2018 |
| Author | Andrew S. Thompson |
| Date | 01 June 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Lessons of History |
Lessons of History
Canada, human rights,
and the future of the
liberal international
order
Andrew S. Thompson
Centre for International Governance Innovation and the Balsillie
School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo, Waterloo,
Ontario, Canada
Abstract
Human rights—specifically international human rights law—have been central to the
success of the liberal international order. But since the founding of the United Nations
(UN), Canada has had a complicated relationship with international human rights law.
This article provides a survey of sixty years of Canadian human rights diplomacy at the
UN Commission on Human Rights, from its establishment in 1946 to its dissolution in
2006. During this period, there were moments when Canada did champion new inter-
national law, and did so courageously. Yetthere were others, such as during negotiations
to recognize and codify the rights of Indigenous peoples, when it stood in the way of
progress. But the international order that has served Canada so well since the end
of the Second World War is under threat, due to a combination of shifts in the global
balance of power, and critical challenges such as climate change. If it is to survive into
the twenty-first century, advanced democracies such as Canada will need to lead
in the development and enforcement of international human rights law, a role that
governments in Ottawa have at various times been reluctant to play.
Keywords
Human rights, international law, Canadian diplomacy, United Nations, Commission on
Human Rights, Human Rights Council, Indigenous peoples, women’s human rights, mass
atrocity crimes
International Journal
2018, Vol. 73(2) 299–307
!The Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/0020702018788550
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Corresponding author:
Andrew S. Thompson, University of Waterloo – Centre for International Governance Innovation and
Balsillie School of International Affairs, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 6C2, Canada.
Email: asthompson@balsillieschool.ca
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