RCMP C-IRG violence not reported in Canada’s voluntary national review on the SDGs to the United Nations

Published by Brent Patterson on July 15, 2024July 15, 2024

Dramatic Video Shows Militarized Canadian Police Raid Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders & Journalists (Democracy Now!, November 24, 2021).

United Nations member states, including Canada, adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 with the target of accomplishing them by 2030.

Sustainable Development Goal 16 promises to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”

Under SDG 16, the International Land Coalition says: “Countries are expected to report on the number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of human rights defenders (HRD).”

However, they highlight as a crucial concern, in the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) of 162 countries, only 3 countries reported that at least one HRD had been killed or attacked, 7 countries reported zero cases, and 152 countries did not report at all.

Canada’s VNRs

The Government of Canada has noted: “On July 19, 2023, Canada presented its second Voluntary National Review at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The review highlights Canada’s progress, lessons learned and challenges in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at home and abroad since Canada’s first Voluntary National Review in 2018.”

Pages 84 to 86 of the second VNR, covering the period of 2018 to 2023, addresses Sustainable Development Goal 16.

It highlights: “A primary focus of Canada’s efforts in achieving SDG 16 is to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and build a more inclusive society free from racism and discrimination.”

Arbitrary detention of Wet’suwet’en land defenders

While the International Land Coalition says countries are expected to report on the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders, there is no reference in Canada’s voluntary national review to RCMP Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) raids and the arbitrary detention of Wet’suwet’en land defenders.

YintahAccess.com has noted: “In three large-scale police actions in January 2019, February 2020, and November 2021, a total of 74 people have been arrested and detained, including legal observers and members of the media.”

The omission is also notable because Canada has received three letters from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination expressing concern about these RCMP C-IRG raids.

The third letter – dated April 29, 2022 – called on Canada to: “Prevent and duly investigate the allegations of surveillance measures, practices of arbitrary detention, instances of excessive use of force against protesters, in particular those belonging to the Secwepemc and Wet’suwet’en peoples, by the RCMP, CIRG, and private security firms.”

Significantly, a report on the RCMP C-IRG raids released by Amnesty International Canada in December 2023 found that: “Wet’suwet’en land defenders and their supporters were arbitrarily arrested for defending their land and exercising their Indigenous rights and their right to freedom of peaceful assembly.”

Next steps

The report A Crucial Gap 2023 published by the Alliance for Land, Indigenous and Environmental Defenders makes seven recommendations including: “Reporting agencies and bodies must make the work of … land, environmental and indigenous human rights defenders, more visible, highlighting the issues and challenges involved in this work and evaluating how existing supports to these groups can be improved.”

It appears in its most recent Voluntary National Review, the Government of Canada has not yet done this.

The current United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development will conclude this Wednesday July 17.

The abuse of process hearing on allegations of RCMP C-IRG violence and the arbitrary detention of land defenders at the time of the November 2021 raid on Wet’suwet’en territory is expected to resume on September 3 to 11 in Smithers, British Columbia.

A systemic investigation of the RCMP C-IRG by the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) launched on March 9, 2023 is ongoing with no completion date in sight. The most recent investigation update from the independent federal agency was posted in November 2023, almost eight months ago.

#HLPF2024 #SDG16