{"id":22635,"date":"2026-05-21T11:33:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T18:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugpolicy.ca\/?p=22635"},"modified":"2026-05-21T11:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T18:36:58","slug":"canadian-civil-society-call-for-human-rights-action-at-ministers-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drugpolicy.ca\/fr\/canadian-civil-society-call-for-human-rights-action-at-ministers-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Civil Society Organizations Unite in Call for Human Rights Action at Minister\u2019s Forum\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joint statement demands accountability, federal infrastructure, and binding commitments to make human rights real for everyone in Canada.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regina (May 21, 2026)<\/strong> \u2014 As federal, provincial, and territorial representatives gather at the Forum of Ministers on Human Rights this week, the newly-formed Civil Society Forum for Human Rights in Canada is calling on governments to take immediate and concrete action on human rights implementation. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Civil Society Forum delivered their statement<\/a> to the Honourable Minister Marc Miller, responsible for human rights implementation at the federal level, the Honourable Minister Rebecca Alty, and the Honourable Rob Oliphant, along with Attorneys Generals from several provinces and territories \u2014 stressing the statement\u2019s importance as a guidepost for human rights implementation at all levels of government.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe timing of this Ministers\u2019 Forum is critical. People across Canada are facing violence, discrimination, homelessness, environmental harm, and persistent inequality,\u201d says Zo\u00eb Craig-Sparrow<\/strong>, Vice-President of Justice for Girls. \u201cCanada participates in international review processes and receives recommendations, but domestically there is no implementation framework and no clear accountability mechanism. For Indigenous, racialized, migrant, low-income, women and gender-diverse persons, and disabled communities, these failures have life-and-death consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

“Human rights cannot remain as simply words on paper. We need to close the gap between promises and action,” says Mich\u00e8le Biss<\/strong>, Executive Director at the National Right to Housing Network. \u201cWhen human rights go unimplemented, it shapes everything \u2014 people are excluded from decisions that affect them, and governments use narrow interpretations of their obligations in court to avoid accountability under the Charter. Governments at every level must step up to protect and save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Six Demands for Immediate Action<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Civil Society Forum is calling on governments to act on six priorities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Transparent and accountable Ministers’ Forum<\/strong> \u2014 Establish a public mandate, clear decision-making processes, and a follow-up mechanism to track implementation commitments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. A legislated national human rights implementation framework <\/strong>\u2014 Develop a legal framework, with civil society input, to translate Canada’s domestic and international human rights obligations into lived reality no later than December 2027.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. A federal Department of Human Rights<\/strong> \u2014 Create a dedicated central body, working in coordination with the Departments of Intergovernmental Affairs and Justice, to champion human rights implementation and ensure cohesion across all levels of government.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Economic, social, and cultural rights as binding legal obligations<\/strong> \u2014 Affirm these rights are justiciable and align legislation, budgeting, and policy accordingly \u2014 including ratification of the American Convention on Human Rights and the Optional Protocol of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ahead of Canada’s UN review in early 2027.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. A formal role for municipalities<\/strong> \u2014 Formalize local governments’ participation in human rights forums and implementation processes, given their frontline role in delivering programs that engage these rights.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Stable, ongoing funding for civil society engagement<\/strong> \u2014 Establish a civil society engagement fund, with contributions from each Forum member, to support treaty reporting, monitoring, and implementation work.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \n

    \u201cAs governments around the world openly challenge human rights, Canada has both the opportunity and the responsibility to demonstrate a different and more productive path forward, both in its interactions with other nations and through meaningful implementation at home,\u201d says DJ Larkin<\/strong>, Executive Director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u00a0“We are united in our shared belief that all human rights are indivisible, interdependent, and interrelated,” says Meghan Doherty<\/strong>, Director of Global Policy and Advocacy at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights. “And that systemic changes to Canada’s human rights infrastructure are necessary for the realization of any and all of our human rights.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    -30-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Media Contact:
    <\/strong>Jessica Tan
    Communications Lead
    National Right to Housing Network
    Jessica@housingrights.ca
    <\/a>613-621-4575<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    About the Civil Society Forum for Human Rights in Canada
    <\/strong>
    The Civil Society Forum for Human Rights in Canada is a group of civil society organizations, advocates, and academics united around a shared vision: a Canada where human rights are not merely aspirational, but legally binding, fully funded, and felt in the daily lives of every person in this country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Signatories<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n