GENERAL
1. Conclusion concerning the situation for Human Rights
Canada is a well functioning democracy and a constitutional state, and the situation for Human Rights (HR) is in general in a good condition.Certain matters are however worth noting:
Canada’s legislation and its exercise of public authority to promote national security and combat terrorism has been criticised of undermining Human Rights and the rule of law. Canadian citizens with foreign backgrounds have in several cases asserted that they have been subject to torture in prisons overseas. Thus, the role of the Canadian Security Service and the law enforcement’s possible interference and knowledge concerning these cases have been and still is the subject of ongoing investigations. The question regarding Canada’s responsibility to prohibit captured Taliban prisoners from being tortured in Afghan prisons has also attracted awareness. Moreover, the Supreme Court has ruled that the so called security certificates that have been used to arrest and deport foreign citizens, who are thought to pose a security risk, are partly in breach of the Canadian Constitution.
The law enforcement’s use of tasers has been critically examined during the year, after numerous cases involving injury and death have occurred in connection with arrests.
One great challenge in Canada is to improve the conditions for the country’s indigenous people so that they are better able to exercise their rights, politically as well as economically and socially.