At the recent 4th Annual Western Canada Poor People's Conference in
Winnipeg, I learnt that some social justice groups such as the National
Anti-Poverty Organization have done some important work to expose the
violations by various levels of government in Canada (federal, provincial,
municipal) of international covenants (e.g. Human Right; Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights) signed at the United Nations.

Why am I mentioning this?  The observations of these UN committees can, in
turn, be used as powerful lobbying tools to hold our government(s) to task
for international obligations they have made by virtue of signing these
covenants.

From a 1999 observation of the UN Human Rights Committee on fingerprinting,
it would seem that drug testing similarly violates the privacy rights of
social assistance recipients.  The 1999 UN Human Rights Committee
observation was as follows:

"The Committee is concerned about the increasingly intrusive measures
affecting the right to privacy, under article 17 of the Covenant
(International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), of people relying on
social assistance, including identification techniques such as
fingerprinting and retinal scanning.  The Committee recommends that the
State Party (the federal government) take steps to ensure the elimination of
such practices."
Source: Observation #16 in the Concluding observations of the Human Rights
Committee: Canada. 07/04/99. CCPR/C/79/Add.105. (Concluding
Observations/Comments)

We may have some influence over anti-democratic policy if we create more
opportunities to REMIND (or inform them in the first place) POLITICIANS at
all levels of government of their obligations under these international
covenants which Canada has signed.  I suggest partnering with the National
Anti-Poverty Organization (NAPO) in Ottawa on such efforts.

As a signatory to these Covenants, the Federal Government must submit
reports to the UN Committees named above, (usually every five years).  NAPO
was one of several NGOs, whose witness testimony and evidence presented to
the commmittees, resulted in (a) UN recognition of areas where the
government failed to live up to the obligations, (b)UN recommendations on
how the goverment could meet their obligations under the convenants.

The Covenants which Canada has signed, as well as the Concluding
Observations from these UN Committees on Canada's progress in living up to
the commitments of these covenants, are available on the web site of the
United Nations High Commision for Human Rights at http://www.unhchr.ch/

Good luck in your lobbying efforts.

Karen Serwonka

>From: "d.raphael" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Health Promotion on the Internet <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: drug testing
>Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 12:45:57 PST
>
>Forwarded Message:
>From: ivan brown <[log in to unmask]>
>
>Dear all,
>
>My letter last week on drug testing has been making the "grand
>rounds" all over Ontario if I can judge by the wide variety of
>responses I have received from all kinds of people I don't
>know.  Many have suggested additions to the points, such as:
>If we think it is ok to test welfare recipients, shouldn't we
>also be testing students who receive OSAP, a program that
>comes from our taxes?  (It is possible a few of them might
>smoke a joint from time to time...)  Shouldn't we be testing
>those women on materity leave who are now entitled to 50 weeks
>of EI?  After all, the contributions of hard-working people
>pay for that program and we don't want women who use drugs
>nursing their babies at home while WE foot the bill!!  I must
>say, I have enjoyed these resonses and got many a chuckle out
>of them.
>
>As part of those rounds the letter has made, someone sent it
>to Toronto Star columnist Jim Coyle who wrote a column on the
>topic of drug testing in today's (Nov. 30) Toronto Star.  If
>you have access to the Star, check out this great column.  I
>don't know which section, as I only have a fax copy.  You can
>also read it online at www.thestar.com and search
>for Jim Coyle's column.  Jim has improved on my letter and
>contrasted my views with Mrs. Malcolm, a grandmother, who
>said, "Stop feeling sorry for these low-lifes."
>
>Well, I guess the world would be a dull place if everyone
>agreed with my views, but it seems obvious that Mrs. Malcolm
>has never had to do without in her life.  I would very much
>like to see her live for a year on only the amount welfare
>provides (including payment of rent), then get back to us with
>her reactions.  I am reminded of the saying
>updated-for-gender-equality reasons): Never judge a person
>until you have walked a mile in his or her shoes.  (I guess I
>should update the mile to kilometers as well, but I will
>indulge in my self-proclaimed right to be a little
>old-fashioned...)  So, have I walked a mile in Mrs.
>Malcolm's shoes?  No, I don't think so.  After all, I have
>never been a grandmother or considered any of my fellow human
>beings to be low-lifes -- my thinking is that people are who
>they are, and that diversity is what makes human life so
>interesting -- so I guess I have to admit that I have never
>walked a mile in Mrs. Malcolm's shoes.  Perhaps I should
>try.  Perhaps then I might have some inkling what on earth
>would make a grandmother think this way.  In any case, I hope
>those shoes are orthopedics, because the road she is walking
>down in a rocky one indeed!
>
>--
>Ivan Brown
>Director, Disability Support Unit
>Centre for Health Promotion
>University of Toronto
>100 College Street, Suite 511
>Toronto, Canada M5G 1L5
>
>Telephone: 416-978-1101
>Fax: 416-657-2267
>email: [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>Our Web Sites have information and reports from all of our
>Quality of Life Projects!
>http://www.utoronto.ca/qol     http://www.utoronto.ca/seniors
>
>*************************************************************
>In the early hours I read in the paper of epoch-making
>projects
>On the part of pope and sovereigns, bankers and oil barons.
>With my other eye I watch
>The pot with the water for my tea
>The way it clouds and starts to bubble and clears again
>And overflowing the pot quenches the fire.
>
>  -- Bertolt Brecht
>**************************************************************
>
>Dennis Raphael, Ph.D.
>Associate Professor
>Department of Public Health Sciences
>Graduate Department of Community Health
>University of Toronto
>McMurrich Building, Room 308
>Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5S 1A8
>voice: (416) 978-7567
>fax: (416) 978-2087
>e-mail:   [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
>
>

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