Mr. Speaker, Canada was in fact disappointed with the human rights council, created to promote and protect human rights, which failed to respect its founding principles in the text that was adopted this week.
We cannot, for expedience, accept a permanent agenda item on the Palestinian territories, singling out one situation while at the same time eliminating a special human rights scrutiny of countries of concern, such as Cuba and Belarus. It is a contradiction.
If the human rights council is to be successful and avoid being discredited like its predecessor, the founding principles must be respected and upheld.
Canada, for its part, will continue to work for an effective and credible human rights body that is consistent in its principles and its actions.