What more can Canada credibly expect the Uribe government to do to improve Colombias human rights record?
” First of all, to answer the Toronto Star, Canadians should not expect their own government to make human rights a concern, never mind a priority, in its dealings with Colombia unless it is brought under significant pressure. In his recently published “Black Book of Canadian Foreign Policy”, Yves Engler described how two Canadian companies, BFC Construction and Agra-Monenco, (with the help of Jean Chretien’s Liberal government) contributed to serious human rights violations in northeastern Colombia that impacted thousands of people. Engler’s book, and the work of Rights Action among others, has exposed how Canadian resource companies – with crucial support from Ottawa – routinely profit from human rights abuses around the world. [4] Second, the Uribe government is highly criminal and corrupt. Canadians should demand that Uribe’s government do the opposite of what it has done since coming to power. Most importantly, Canadians should listen to the victims in Colombia who are clearly not
