Subcommittee on International Human Rights Committee on March 28th, 2022

[Judith Abitan]

I've mentioned several recommendations before, and I'd be happy to repeat some of them.

Canada could, relatively quickly, impose targeted sanctions, in a concerted way within a multilateral framework, on senior Eritrean officials involved in corruption and human rights violations against Mr. Isaak and his colleagues. This is something we could do quite effectively and quickly.

This move was advocated in this case by an international coalition of NGOs, as I mentioned earlier, of human rights organizations, of experts, of advocates and of journalists.

So there are many recommendations. Canada could also support the call of key UN experts who are engaged in special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council, who have themselves already called for the urgent and immediate release of Mr. Isaak.

For example, Canada, as co‑chair of the Media Freedom Coalition, is committed to protecting media freedom and the safety of journalists. It can engage Coalition members in Mr. Isaak's case and make it an iconic case study. There are many other things we could do, but here are some ideas and recommendations for Canada.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Thank you very much, Ms. Abitan.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Thank you.

We will now go to Ms. McPherson, please.

You have four minutes.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll try to be quick.

First of all, I want to thank all of our witnesses for being here today and sharing this testimony with us.

It's very, very important to hear from you. One thing I am reflecting on is the fact that with all of the stories you're telling us, I recognize that we very clearly have journalists with us, because there is a component of storytelling that I think has seized our imagination.

In my thinking of how we go forward with this, my colleague, Mr. Trudel, just brought up the fact that there's very little that Canada can do sometimes, or there are limits to what Canada can do. Of course, it is always better to be in the situation where we are able to prevent something from happening then condemning it once it has already occurred.

I was thinking a little bit about how we work with our media in Canada and around the world, and the model of how we pay for media—the model of advertising.

In the previous panel, Maria Ressa talked about how she worked for the International Fund for Public Interest Media and the way we can turn that on its head.

I'd love to get some information, so perhaps I can start with you, Ms. Pulfer.

How could we fund media? How can we ensure that media are able to continue without that advertising model which, with Facebook and other social media, makes our journalists so vulnerable.

[Rachel Pulfer]

That's a great question. Thank you so much for posing it. It gets right at the heart of the key core issue of the financial sustainability of independent news.

I've spent quite a lot of time, both thinking on this question and working on it with philanthropists and fellow civil society actors—people like Ed Greenspon, Kevin Chan of Facebook—to try to figure out the best way to ensure we can create mechanisms through which independent media can be funded. The best that I have come across is an idea that goes back to “The Shattered Mirror”, looking at the opportunity to set up an entrepreneurship fund for independent media in Canada, which would be co-funded by philanthropy, by government and by individual private donors who care about independent news, and would be co-managed by a consortium of industry experts: journalists managing funds in the interest of improving journalism.

The challenge with all of this, not to put too fine a point on it, is getting journalists to work together so that we can—

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

It's maybe like politicians in that way.

[Rachel Pulfer]

Perhaps.

Essentially, I do see that there's an opportunity. I've spoken with many, many large philanthropists in this country, who care deeply about this issue and want to do something material about it. I know that there's interest, certainly by the Liberal government, but also I think amongst other parties who are seized with the issue of how we ensure we can sustain independent media. Most definitely there are individuals and major donors in the general public who want to feed in and support a fund of that kind.

That, to my mind, is the most logical, sensible and straightforward way to square that particular circle.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

I only have a few seconds left, but I did want to get it on record. I believe it was you, Ms. Kay, who brought up the fact that the Dutch government has put forward legislation on that evergreen visa process for journalists. Is that correct? If we can just get that on the record one more time, I think that would be helpful.

[Rachael Kay]

It was the other Rachel actually.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Oh, sorry.

[Rachael Kay]

No, that's okay. I'll leave it to her to make that point.

[Rachel Pulfer]

We get that quite a bit. There are two Rachels in this world. It's pretty great, actually.

Yes, the Dutch government is working to stand up a program of emergency visas specifically for journalists. They are doing this in consultation with a number of experts, including our Dutch counterpart, Free Press Unlimited, and they're quite a ways along in this process. It seems like an opportunity for Canada to match what they're doing or do something that is uniquely Canadian, but also to show leadership in this coalition of 50 states that we currently co-chair, the Media Freedom Coalition. Yes, there's not always a lot that states can do, but allowing safe access within their borders is something useful and concrete that governments could do in this situation. We strongly encourage Canada and other governments in the Media Freedom Coalition to step up, as the Dutch are doing, in order to provide these kinds of opportunities.

Thank you.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

We now go to Mr. Zuberi. You have three minutes.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

I'd like to thank all of the witnesses again for being here and for promoting journalism and human rights.

I was wondering if you see any hope in the world when it comes to media, any rising stars as opposed to the negatives we've heard thus far. Can you guys highlight that situation?

[Rachael Kay]

It's difficult these days to find some positive stories, but I think it's a fair question.

I think definitely there's one example I would point to that we've seen at IFEX. The Media Foundation for West Africa, an IFEX member, has been very involved in work in Gambia with the change in government there. A lot of work has been done on issues of media freedom at the legislative level, and also in terms of reparations in cases of media freedom violations that had been incurred by the former government, which was a very authoritarian regime. I think there we've seen how decisions taken by the people to put in place a government that really is working in their favour and to make that change have been positive moves, for sure.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Unless others have a burning contribution to make, I'd like to shift the focus to Mr. Clifford.

We heard a previous witness, a former journalist in Hong Kong, telling us about red lines that are not clear when it comes to journalism in Hong Kong. Have you been able to identify any red lines that would help us understand what they are—if they at all exist? If they don't, perhaps you could confirm what he said earlier. That would be kind of you.

[Dr. Mark Clifford]

Thank you for that very provocative and incisive question. I'm sorry I did not hear the previous witness, but the red lines are expanding or narrowing, depending on one's perspective. They tend to include Tibet and the Dalai Lama, of course; Taiwan and any semblance of belief that it is an independent nation; increasingly, Xinjiang and the treatment of the Uighur Muslim majority there; Hong Kong itself; and the South China Sea.

These are what China regards as its core interest, but I think as the Ukraine invasion by Russia has gone on, we're seeing pressure in new areas. For example, three people get together with a Ukrainian flag, and they're arrested because they've violated the social distancing rules, which under the COVID regulations only allow two people to get together. Of course, hundreds of people can line up for a new watch, and that's no problem. We're seeing a narrowing of the “Hong Kong” mind and a broadening of these red lines.

I think that your previous witness, if I understood correctly, was quite perceptive in pointing out that the whole point of red lines is that they're not really red. They're up to you as the journalist to essentially self-censor and try to outguess the censor. Naturally, in avoiding trouble, people tend to be more and more cautious. There's effectively no pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong anymore, and the leading English language newspaper, the South China Morning Post, for which I was previously editor-in-chief, I think has become increasingly timid. It takes a huge toll on Hong Kong, and, of course, it takes a big toll on the journalists, so many of whom are in jail.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Thanks so much, Mr. Clifford.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Thank you, Mr. Clifford.

We'll now go to Mr. Viersen for three minutes.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Ms. Abitan, you were telling us about the case of Mr. Isaak. I'm wondering a little bit about what Sweden's response has been so far, given the fact that he's a dual national. Is there some way Canada can help Sweden in this regard?

[Judith Abitan]

As I mentioned earlier in response to one of your colleagues, there were five complaints filed to the Swedish Prosecution Authority on behalf of Mr. Isaak by his Swedish lawyers. All were rejected, very sadly.

On the legal front, the complaints that were put forward to the Swedish Prosecution Authority were not opened. They were not in agreement to open an investigation into his case, very regrettably. On the diplomatic/minister of foreign affairs side, we understand that nine foreign ministers over a number of years tried to secure his release. Unfortunately, they were not successful.

Perhaps you could repeat your precise question. I've explained what the juridical and government contexts have been in Sweden with regard to the case, which have been, sadly, very disappointing. I might add quickly that there is an independent commission of inquiry that is being held right now. The findings are to be rendered on October 31, 2022. They will be assessing the government's actions with regard to their efforts in releasing Mr. Isaak.

I hope that provides some kind of context on the domestic front.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Okay, but I'm not quite clear on what was “disappointing”, as you put it. What was disappointing—the actions of the Eritrean government or the actions of the Swedish government?

[Judith Abitan]

Both.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

It was both. Okay.