December 5, 2007
On the occasion of December 10, International Human Rights Day, the Canadian Labour Congress celebrates the courage and determined actions of those who have fought for respect for human rights in Canada and around the world. And we call for vigilance, to ensure the meaning and intent of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights are always upheld by our governments, and in our communities and workplaces.
We salute John Humphrey, a Canadian from New Brunswick who, almost sixty years ago, wrote the first draft of perhaps the most comprehensive human rights document in recorded history – the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
Humphrey felt that true respect for human rights often comes about only as a result of pressure by an informed and concerned public. He stressed the Universal Declaration was the product of many. Humphrey believed if not for the courage of determined groups of individuals, the Declaration might never have been written. Its unanimous support at the United Nations on December 10, 1948 was in part because of the committed advocacy by trade unions, churches, ethno-racial groups and the peace movement around the world.
The CLC salutes the determined actions of those who confronted the racist segregation policies in public places that were in place in Canada during the 1940s. Brave individuals like Viola Desmond and Carrie Best who confronted these policies using direct, peaceful actions, the courts and by mobilizing a wide range of activists to challenge systemic racism.
Today, the Canadian Labour Congress continues to uphold the principles contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to challenge those who violate those principles.
In June this year, the Supreme Court of Canada declared that collective bargaining rights were rights enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom and the British Columbia government violated freedom of association with its Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act. It was the determined actions of BC healthcare unions, and the CLC who intervened in the case, that led to this landmark decision declaring workers' rights as human rights.
Around the world, trade unionists are murdered, and suffer beatings or torture, defending workers' rights. Yet brave union members continue to struggle to uphold the right to life, liberty and security contained in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration.
Closer to home, the federal government continues to push for legislation and policies under the guise of national security, that would violate Article 9 of the Universal Declaration, our rights to a fair and public hearing by impartial tribunals when faced with criminal charges, and Article 13, our right to freedom of movement.
The CLC works in solidarity with human rights groups to challenge the federal government's security certificate regime, the secretive and lopsided judicial process that accompanies the Anti-Terrorism Act, and the No Fly List initiative, each of which violates the basic human rights established by the Universal Declaration.
The CLC calls for vigilance, every day, to give meaning to the rights contained in the Universal Declaration. Whether it is working on task forces to fight racism and racial profiling, advocating gender equality, demanding comprehensive accessibility for persons, or ensuring workers' freedom of association is upheld, it is work that relies on the commitment of the labour movement, and the courage of dedicated workers who stand prepared to act for the collective good.
The thirty articles contained in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights remain as profound today as they were nearly sixty years ago. The Canadian Labour Congress salutes the working women and men who continue the daily struggle to uphold the rights and principles contained in the Declaration that we celebrate on this day.
