Evidence of meeting #11 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was core.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca
Thank you, Ms. Dwyer.
We're moving now, for two minutes, to Ms. McPherson.
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Again, thank you to the witness. This has been very interesting.
One of the things I have spent a lot of time working on prior to being elected is the sustainable development goals. We know that sustainable development goal 16.3 is “equal access to justice”. We know that sustainable development goal 16.6 is the “effective, accountable and transparent institutions” for that justice.
Can you talk a bit about what you would like to see with regard to this ombudsperson position? We talked with the ombudsperson earlier today about human rights due diligence legislation. We talked about what we'd like to see this ombudsperson have, the ability to compel. What could be accomplished? What could we achieve if we had the expanded role for this position, if it had the ability to do what it could?
February 23rd, 2021 / 8:05 p.m.
Coordinator, Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability
One would hope that an effective ombudsperson's office would have the confidence of impacted communities and workers to be able to come and bring complaints and seek redress, that the ombudsperson's office would look into those cases and would be able to establish and see patterns of harm, patterns of concern, and make tailored recommendations not only to prevent harm, but also to remedy it, and recommendations to the Government of Canada in terms of law and policy reform in the future so that there are no continuing complaints 10 and 15 years from now.
In 2005, the foreign affairs subcommittee studied this issue and made recommendations that have still not been implemented. Impacted communities have been waiting eons for the Canadian government to do something meaningful. We finally got there in 2018, and it is a shame that this commitment is being rolled back now and that once again we're seeing that the Government of Canada is turning its back on impacted communities and workers who desperately need a place to go.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca
Ms. Dwyer, thank you very much for your testimony. That will conclude this panel.
Members, we will now suspend and come back in camera. Thank you.
[Proceedings continue in camera]