A letter from the UN s Committee on the Elimination of Racism includes allegations Canada failed to take appropriate measures to prevent these acts of violence and to protect the fishers and their properties from being vandalized, and that treaty rights have been breached.
A federal Fisheries Department spokeswoman said in a text Friday that the federal government is reviewing the letter from the UN committee and will respond to the inquiry directly.
Packer, the director of the university s Human Rights Research and Education Centre, said if the group concludes Canada breached terms of a convention that aims to eliminate racism, it harms Canada s credibility, even if the conclusions aren t legally binding.
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Rights Violations Against Sipekne katik Addressed by the United Nations
Treaty Fishery Anticipated to Re-open in June
SIPEKNE’KATIK, FN. Following a submission to the United Nations detailing the racist and violent acts of last fall including those against the Mi’kmaq people of Sipekne’katik, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has now called on Canada to account for these actions. A team comprised of Mi’kmaq legal counsel, as well as human rights experts, Justice for Girls and community members compiled the final document for review and provided CERD with regular status updates throughout the winter. “We are grateful for the team who took the initiative to work through the necessary international channels to bring attention to the human rights violations our fishers and community members have endured,” said Chief Mike Sack.
An international expert on conflict resolution says there is "zero chance" the United Nations will provide a Nova Scotia First Nation with peacekeepers to police its contentious lobster fishery.