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Letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Please support water as a human right.
February 10, 2006
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
Langevin Block
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1V 0A2
February 10, 2006
Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper:
The purpose of this letter is to urge you, the 22nd Prime Minister
of Canada, to support water as a human right and to clearly state
that under your government Canada will be a defender of water as
a fundamental human right and public trust.
In 2002 and again in 2003, at the United Nations Commission on
Human Rights, the Canadian government was alone in voting against
recognizing water as a human right. Canadian representatives opposed
the appointment of a special rapporteur dedicated to investigating
questions pertaining to the right to water. Fortunately, the other
countries of the commission passed the resolution and it was adopted.
We, the undersigned organizations, call on you and the new government
to publicly renounce the previous position taken by the government
and respect the wishes of Canadians. A 2004 Ipsos-Reid poll demonstrated
that 97% of Canadians surveyed believe “Canada should adopt
a comprehensive national water policy that recognizes clean drinking
water as a basic human right”. We are calling on you to declare
your support for water as a human right and public trust and enshrine
this in a comprehensive national water policy.
Last year, the global community embarked on an important United
Nations-led project called the Water for Life decade (2005-2015).
As we enter into the second year of this campaign, and the first
sitting of a new minority parliament, it is timely for you to express
support for the right to water and to highlight Canada as a global
leader in respecting human rights. The global community has also
embraced the Millennium Development Goals, which mandate a halving
of the proportion of the world’s population without access
to clean water and sanitation by 2015. The UN Committee on Economic
Social and Cultural Rights has clearly stated that water is a human
right in its General Comment 15, and Canada, as a signatory to the
Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, is morally bound
by this interpretation. It is time Canada joined efforts to secure
the right to water and stop the needless death and disease caused
by inadequate access to water and violations of fundamental human
rights.
Furthermore, given the upcoming 4th World Water Forum in Mexico
City this spring, we firmly ask that Canada, through our role in
drafting the ministerial declaration for this event and participation
in this Forum, oppose the further privatization and commodification
of water.
Given Canada’s questionable record on promoting the human
right to water, we wish to communicate to you, Prime Minister Harper,
your responsibility to act in the interest of Canadians who have
spoken out for the human right to water. As part of a broad coalition
of national and international organizations monitoring these issues,
we look forward to your response.
Sincerely, the undersigned organizations,
l'Association québécoise pour un contrat mondial
de l'eau
Blue Planet Project
Canadian Union of Public Employees
Council of Canadians
Development and Peace
Eau Secours
Friends of the Earth Canada
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
Polaris Institute
Please direct your reply to Anil Naidoo, The Blue Planet Project:
700 – 170 Laurier Street West, Ottawa On, K1P 5V5
- Copied to the other party leaders in the House of Commons:
- Honourable Jack Layton, NDP Party Leader
House of Commons
Parliament Hill
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A9
Honourable Gilles Duceppe, BQ Party Leader
House of Commons
Parliament Hill
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A9
Honourable Bill Graham, Liberal Interim-Leader
House of Commons
Parliament Hill
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A9
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