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OTTAWA, October 22, 2002 (LSN.ca) – On Friday, Martin Cauchon, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Jean Augustine, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism) (Status of Women) announced that Canada is acceding to the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

According to the government’s release, “The Optional Protocol establishes a process by which individuals who believe that their Convention rights have been violated may submit a formal complaint to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, once all domestic remedies have been exhausted. The Optional Protocol also establishes an inquiry process into allegations of grave or systematic violations of rights contained in the Convention.”  When the Optional Protocol took effect two years ago, UN expert and lawyer Kaye Balmforth, former Director of the World Families Policy Center, told LifeSite that the ratifying countries may be targeted by radical activists seeking to have the committee force the countries to remove any remaining protection of the rights of the unborn. She noted for example that Italy had already been taken to task by the Committee since all the doctors in one hospital refused to abort babies. The committee found this to be a violation of women’s rights. Thus the UN CEDAW Committee was actively ruling out conscience rights for pro-life doctors.

Balmforth noted that “there is no reason for any country with its own human rights mechanism to adopt the optional protocol. All it will do is allow activists to bypass national courts. Suggestions too radical to be passed through national legislators will be dictated by the UN. This will do an end run around the democratic will of countries.”

Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition told LifeSite, “Once again Canadian sovereignty is disappearing.  Our ability to govern ourselves in situations that arise is greatly jeopardized with any appeal to international bodies, especially on pro-life and pro-family matters.”  See related LifeSite coverage:  UN’S OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO CEDAW TAKES EFFECT https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/oct/00100201.html   See the government release on the announcement:  https://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/news/nr/2002/doc_30698.html