Canada no longer leads on human rights

The Ottawa Citizen:

How could Canada possibly be rejected for a seat on the UN Security Council, losing by a wide margin to Portugal, a country with little international profile?

A generation ago, such an outcome would have been inconceivable. Today, sadly, it was not surprising.

Canada was once known for its internationalism. Canada created the modern concept of UN peacekeeping. It stood at the forefront of global efforts to promote human rights, such as the fight against apartheid.

When my organization, Human Rights Watch, wanted a governmental partner to help create a treaty banning landmines, we came to Ottawa, where then foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy embraced the cause. And it was another Canadian, Philippe Kirsch, who chaired the negotiations to launch the International Criminal Court, the first global war crimes tribunal, and then served as the new court's first president.

Canada is, of course, a mid-sized country, but because of its activist foreign policy, because of the values that informed its dealings with the world, it punched above its weight.

It was a nation to be contended with. It was a nation that regularly was chosen to sit on the Security Council, having served in each decade since the creation of the United Nations -- until this one.

Now, unfortunately, when it comes to the international arena, Canada is barely punching at all. It is still a member of the G8, but it is no longer seen as a strong moral voice on key international issues.

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