While the US continues its choke hold on the United Nations, First Nations welcome Anaya to probe Canada's abysmal human rights record
First Nation Anishinabe, Roseau River
October 9, 2013
Dear Abas,
Special UN Rapporteur James Anaya (indigenous@ohchr.org) is in Canada after being delayed by the government in his request to visit indigenous people in Canada. It is unusual for Canada and United States to be investigated by the United Nations for Human Rights violations.
The link to a UN financial report (2009) shows that Canada financed 3% of the United Nations budget and the United States financed 22% of that budget. Money is the reason the United Nations generally ignores Human Rights violations in North America.
Nine of the 193 Countries listed in the 2009 UN financial report account for 67% of the 2.7 billion dollar UN Budget. Money is also the reason that the United Nations is always accused of being a puppet of western nations. The UN list includes seven countries United States (22%), Canada (3%), Britain (6.6%), France(6.3%), Germany (8.6%), Italy (5%), Mexico (2.2%) and Spain (3%), that account for 50.3% of the 2009 United Nations budget . Take note that the only non western country, Japan (16.6%) was the second largest financial contributor to the United Nations in 2009.
The link to a UN financial report (2009) shows that Canada financed 3% of the United Nations budget and the United States financed 22% of that budget. Money is the reason the United Nations generally ignores Human Rights violations in North America.
Nine of the 193 Countries listed in the 2009 UN financial report account for 67% of the 2.7 billion dollar UN Budget. Money is also the reason that the United Nations is always accused of being a puppet of western nations. The UN list includes seven countries United States (22%), Canada (3%), Britain (6.6%), France(6.3%), Germany (8.6%), Italy (5%), Mexico (2.2%) and Spain (3%), that account for 50.3% of the 2009 United Nations budget . Take note that the only non western country, Japan (16.6%) was the second largest financial contributor to the United Nations in 2009.
The question is does the United Nations take any real direction from the other 184 Nations of the world that contributes the other 33% of the UN Budget. The United Nations could not even begin to think of economic sanctions against North America for Human Rights violations given who finances the world organization. As the Ottawa Citizen stated in its article on Anaya's visit:"The rapporteur has no binding authority. Rather, he aims to shame governments into action by bringing unacceptable conditions to light."
Part of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television broadcast regarding Anaya's visit contained the following.
'Canada has nothing to hide'
The federal government says it stands by its record on human rights.
"We are proud of our record, so there is nothing to hide," said Deepak Obhrai, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs. "Canada has nothing to hide."
Anaya made his initial request for access to Canada in February 2012. A year later, in February of this year, he wrote to the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs saying he still had not heard from the Canadian government about his request.
On April 26, Canada's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations at Geneva, Elissa Golberg, announced the federal government would allow Anaya to visit.
John Baird is the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, a man that has intense hatred for Iran. The recent speech by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations was well received world-wide and it is reported in a poll that 75% of Americans favor a diplomatic solution between Iran and the United States. Americans are tired of war and know that United States cannot afford a war that might increase their debt by another ten trillion dollars. Minister Baird, however was quite brutal in his response to the Iranian President's speech stating that Iran could not be trusted.
There is a lot that Canada wants to hide from international scrutiny. My article on Fars News Agency http://english.
John Baird has not only ignored James Anaya, he also ignores letters from indigenous people. Please see PDF letter (below) from Shoal Lake First Nation 39 to John Baird sent January 13, 2013. Still no response from his office to the letter. No response from the Americans or the Provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. The City of Winnipeg also continues to ignore Shoal Lake. I am told that Rachel Green of Shoal Lake is scheduled to meet with the Special Rapporteur and hopefully also Councillor Fawn Wapioke of Shoal Lake 39 will present information to Anaya on the issue of water.
Water is a big issue in Canada. Canada has a huge percentage of the world's clean fresh water and the United States wants and needs that water. As the 300 million Americans thirst increases, Canada will be forced more and more to sell water to the Americans even as Canada continues to destroy its clean water. The Oilsands of Alberta has been a total environmental disaster. Much has been accomplished in getting world attention on the issue of the Tarsands. American and Canadian environmentalists and nations around the world should also be aware of the plight of indigenous peoples in Canada who not only lack clean drinking water but in cases like Shoal Lake, the immigrants simply take the water from indigenous people and pay nothing for it. Worse than that, they flood reservation lands without any compensation or consultation and stop by physical force the economy of the First Nations. Shoal Lake First Nation has approximately 90% unemployment and still the governments of Canada refuse to negotiate any resolution.
Canada and United States had a trade relationship of $4.5 Trillion in the last ten years. Canada has sold Americans $2.5 Trillion worth of exports in the last ten years but Canada has made no payments to the Indigenous people for the natural resources that it sends to the United States. Canada has no RIGHT TO PROPERTY in its domestic Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In 1982, the Canadian Government deliberately omitted the Right to Property in order to circumvent any possible legal action by the indigenous people in Canadian courts. Shoal Lake remains destitute while the City of Winnipeg will not allow any economic developments by the First Nation at Winnipeg's source of drinking water.
I thank the Iranian people for their continued efforts to bring world attention to the plight of the indigenous peoples of Canada and United States. We remain occupied nations in North America. The American Indian Movement recently held a Tribunal into the Leonard Peltier case, an issue that continues to remain unresolved. Leonard Peltier is our Nelson Mandela. As has been the case for decades, the mainstream media in the United States that is controlled by money will ignore the Human Rights violations and the visit by Anaya to Canada. The complicity of Canada in the case of Leonard Peltier is still not well known. Please visit the Censored News Website for further information.
While the major news networks in America will continue to ignore the plight of indigenous peoples, remaining in denial of the historical "holocaust" of Native Americans, we welcome those of humanity that may wish to investigate for themselves the present history of violations of Human Rights in North America.
We welcome Native American James Anaya to Winnipeg on Saturday October 12, 2013. Agenda: http://www.scribd.com/doc/174870208/UNSRIP-Visit-Agenda-October-12-2013
It should be remembered that 521 years ago on October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in North America beginning the five hundred year Age of Tears for indigenous peoples in the Western Hemisphere.
A copy of this email is being blind CC to over 400 email addresses. Although it is late for indigenous people who might want to make a presentation to the Special Rapporteur, they may try to contact Melissa Hotain at the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs as per the information in the attached file, UNSRIP_Visit. Melissa Hotain can be reached at 204-987-4146 or at mhotain@manitobachiefs.com
Again thank you Abas for all your support.
Terrance Nelson
Vice-Chair American Indian Movement
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