Ecumenical letter to Minister Garneau calls on Canada to respond to escalating human rights violations in the Philippines
KAIROS, the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada, in solidarity with partners, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) and the Ecumenical Voice for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (EcuVoice), have written a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs expressing deep concern about the escalating human rights violations against Indigenous peoples in the Philippines. In particular, the letter urges the Canadian government to respond to the atrocious State-sanctioned killings on December 30, 2020 of nine Indigenous community leaders falsely “red-tagged” (vilified and criminalized) as members and combatants of the New Peoples Army. We also call on the Canadian government to ensure robust implementation of Voices at Risk: Canada’s Guidelines on Supporting Human Rights Defenders (2019), encouraging the Embassy in Manila to meeting with Indigenous leader and human rights defender Windel Bolinget and representatives of the Cordillera People’s Alliance to offer assistance and protection.
The letter reiterates a request for a meeting with the Minister to discuss how Canada can strengthen its support for human rights in the Philippines, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
