Minority Report #2: Carney sidelines human rights in first 120 days

The biggest takeaway from the first 120 days of Mark Carney’s Liberal government is the almost complete absence of any concrete mention of human rights. As I said in my post Minority Report #1, the Speech from the Throne, which outlines the government’s priorities, doesn’t explicitly mention human rights. It simply says, “The Government will always protect the rights and freedoms that the Charter guarantees for every Canadian.” The government’s priorities, as stated in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s mandate letter, are:

1. Establishing a new economic and security relationship with the United States and strengthening collaboration with reliable trading partners and allies.
2. Building one Canadian economy by removing barriers to interprovincial trade and expediting nation-building projects.
3. Bringing down costs for Canadians and helping them get ahead.
4. Making housing more affordable by unleashing public-private cooperation and catalysing a modern housing industry.
5. Protecting Canadian sovereignty and keeping Canadians safe by strengthening our Armed Forces, securing borders, and reinforcing law enforcement.
6. Attracting the best global talent while returning immigration rates to sustainable levels.
7. Spending less on government operations so that Canadians can invest more in people and businesses.

This is in stark contrast to the Trudeau government that explicitly mentioned human rights in the 2019 and 2021 Throne speeches and, in May 2023, announced Canada’s bid for a seat on the United Nation Human Rights Council for the 2028-2030 term.

This omission supports the argument that Canada faces a human rights credibility gap due to its domestic human rights record. That argument was advanced in the July 30, 2025 Policy Options article Canada’s foreign policy credibility begins at home. For the article, the four authors, all graduate students at the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, interviewed dozens of officials and civil society leaders. They found, “Canada’s human rights record looks strong on paper, but the reality is more complicated. We have ratified numerous international human rights treaties, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. But those commitments rarely make it into enforceable domestic law. Canada’s dualist legal system means international treaties require domestic laws to be enacted to give the treaties legal force at home. Without that, they remain aspirational.”

The authors detail issues with Canada’s domestic human rights system including lack of transparency in human rights reporting, data accessibility and weak enforcement. They said, “Interviewees consistently called for stronger accountability mechanisms. Some proposed legislation to mandate follow-up on UN recommendations or to establish an independent co-ordinating body with real authority.” They ended by saying, “Human rights can’t remain a bureaucratic side project buried in intergovernmental committees. Federal leaders must set clear expectations for provinces and territories, give oversight bodies true power and — most importantly — show Canadians and the world that they are willing to be held accountable.”

It would also be a good idea to not pass laws like Bill C5 which Ecojustice says, “erodes democratic principles, runs roughshod over Indigenous rights, shuts Canadians out of decisions that could affect them, and puts the environment at risk.” One of the most controversial parts of Bill C5 is the powers it gives the government to fast track projects it determines are of “national interest.”

The Assembly of First Nations held national discussions on Bill C5 ten days before it became law. “During the discussion, Chiefs raised strong concerns over the rushed legislative process, lack of meaningful consultation, narrowly defined national interest that excludes First Nations priorities and perspectives…and the broader implications for rights and jurisdiction.” The meeting also featured a First Nations political panel featuring B.C. Regional Chief Terry Teegee; the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; and former National Chief Ovide Mercredi. “Speakers emphasized that Bill C-5 represents a significant step backward in the Crown–First Nations relationship and questioned the federal rationale to once again sidestep their obligations to First Nations rights holders. They noted that the concept of “national interest” must include the rights of First Nations as original stewards of the land. Speakers stressed that the Bill stands in contrast to what First Nations have long advocated for, and conflicts with Canada’s own laws, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.”

So Carney is doing things which Indigenous people see as directly attacking their human rights – and saying absolutely nothing about the human rights of Black Canadians. This is also in stark contrast to Justin Trudeau who was the first Prime Minister to acknowledge the existence of systemic anti-Black racism in Canada and whose government formally recognized the UN Decade for People of African Descent. The Trudeau Liberals also committed to including Black folks as a distinct group under the federal Employment Equity Act and launched Canada’s Black Justice Strategy.

Luckily, history has shown that fundamental change for Black folks has always come from Black folks’ resistance. So some Black folks aren’t waiting for Mark Carney to show he cares about Black Canadians – they’re taking action now. One tool of resistance available to Black folks (and all folks) is filing human rights complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission and its provincial counterparts like the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. Such complaints are potentially powerful as the Commission/Tribunal has the power to order the target of the complaint to respond – and the person filing the complaint doesn’t have to pay anything, including legal fees as no lawyer is required. The problem is that it can take years to get a result due to huge backlogs at the Commission/tribunals. If Carney really cares about human rights he’ll provide adequate funding to the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to allow them to deal with complaints in a timely manner.

According to the office of my Member of Parliament, Liberal Anita Vandenbeld, Carney’s government still has aspirations of a UN Human Rights Council seat and is maintaining Canada’s bid. Canada also said it intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, with some conditions, which would be a huge step in supporting the human rights of the Palestinian people. However, Canada must ensure things are right in its own human rights house before seeking a leadership role on the international stage.