Subcommittee on International Human Rights Committee on March 12th, 2015

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Wayne Marston]

Mrs. Grewal, please.

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, witnesses, for your time and your presentations.

As all of us know, Canada supports the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Eritrea, including an arms embargo to prevent continued conflict. In your opinion, has this arms embargo been effective and has it had a positive impact on Eritrea?

[H.E. Dominique Rossetti]

Is the question addressed to me?

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Any one of you can answer this question. Mr. Reid could answer or you could answer.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

I'm not in a position, actually, based on what I saw, to have any information on that topic.

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Sir, maybe you could answer that question.

[H.E. Dominique Rossetti]

May I ask you to reformulate the question? I'm not sure that I fully understand the question, because there are many things—

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Yes. My question is in regard to Canada's support. All of us know about the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Eritrea, including an arms embargo to prevent continued conflict. In your opinion, has this arms embargo been effective there? Has it had a positive impact on Eritrea?

[H.E. Dominique Rossetti]

On the first element, for sure Canada supports the sanctions against Eritrea imposed by UN Security Council Resolution 1907. That's 100% sure. Now on the implementations of the sanctios Canada has implemented requirements giving effect to the sanctions. And third, on whether these affect Eritrea, I would say, probably yes.

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

In many nations around the world, women are at a greater risk of human rights abuses than their male counterparts. I was concerned to learn that women in Eritrea are dropping out of school to get married and raise their families to escape the risk of sexual assault there, and which comes with Eritrea's national service program. Have you seen any progress for women's rights in Eritrea?

[H.E. Dominique Rossetti]

Certainly, yes. It's interesting because we had for women's day a conference in Asmara on this issue, which I was invited to. There was a list of progress made on this issue. I would say definitely yes, and it's part of, I would say, the egalitarian doctrine of the regime. Keeping in mind some specific restrictions that we can find in other countries, yes, there is progress on this gender issue.

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

I also wanted to inquire about the religious conflict in the region. Statistics indicate that Eritrea's population is split between Christianity and Islam. Have there been any issues between religious groups, and if not, is there potential for future conflict?

[H.E. Dominique Rossetti]

I would say there are three main religious groups in Eritrea: the Orthodox, the Catholics, and the Muslims. As a controlled country, of course, the three are controlled but they can practise and are really part of the community. People mentioned several times that the community is very important. So you can see, as Mr. Reid said, mosques and churches in every place. Of that I'm sure. The point is that some others are suffering from restrictions, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, who because of the military service and other reasons are suffering from restrictions at the moment. But the three pillars.... I would say that to a certain extent, keeping in mind what's happened in Yemen and in other countries, the regime was able to control radical extremist groups and not allow them to come into Eritrea.

On this front they were able to avoid any penetration of radical groups in Eritrea.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Wayne Marston]

You have 30 seconds.

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Let me try to finish this question.

Eritrea consists of nine different ethnic groups with over 80% of the population belonging to the Tigrinya or Tigre people. Are the other ethnic groups there more likely to be subjected to human rights abuses?

[H.E. Dominique Rossetti]

If I understand your question, you are asking if there are some ethnic groups that are suffering bad treatment?

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Yes.

[H.E. Dominique Rossetti]

The only thing that I can say is that the Eritreans are very proud of their nine groups. Everywhere you can see that. As to whether there is special discrimination against some ethnic groups, it's difficult for me to say that. I haven't seen evidence of that. But as we say, I've been there for a short time in Eritrea but we don't believe, based on discussions I had with international and local interlocutors, there is a real hard and deep discrimination against any one group in particular.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Wayne Marston]

Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.

We'll move now to the third party, Mr. Vaughan.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Thank you.

Before I start, on behalf of my colleague Irwin Cotler, I'd like to remind members that I'll be moving a motion on his behalf.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Wayne Marston]

We'll get that at the end of the meeting. That time is set aside.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Okay. I just wanted to make sure that it's not lost in the shuffle here.

I have a couple of things.

Are there any other mining organizations operating in Eritrea that can be used as a comparison to see how Canadian organizations are behaving—to be measured against—or is the Bisha mine the only organization of its size or scope in the country?

That's to the ambassador.

[H.E. Dominique Rossetti]

There is a Chinese company that I think is one of the major players. By the way, there is a new Canadian company that is to do business in Eritrea as well.

Yes, there are comparisons, but the Bisha mine, as far as I know, is the major one. I cannot say if the Chinese mine is equal or more important, but the Bisha mine certainly is the most evident at the moment.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

In terms of the issue of subcontractors and compelled labour that relate to the military or national service, is there any evidence that the Bisha mine is unique in finding itself in a difficult spot vis-à-vis human rights, or are human rights organizations focused only on this one particular organization?

[H.E. Dominique Rossetti]

To be frank and honest with you, I cannot discuss what the Chinese have done. However, I know that the Chinese were not, I would say, on the spot because of that. I don't think there was any complaint coming from China on this issue.

It's certainly not a good answer, but I cannot speak about them. What I can say is what the Bisha mine has done in terms of CSR and how visible the CSR is, keeping in mind as well that every year there are ambassadors from EU and others who visit the Bisha mine and consider it a model.