The Canadian Parliament has endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by a majority vote after Canada, along with the U.S., Australia and New Zealand voted against it in the U.N. in September 2007. The Declaration affirms the human rights of indigenous people based on indigenous origin or identity and affirms indigenous people's right to self-determination. The Conservative party has been opposed to the Declaration and voted against the endorsement. Read more on the Amnesty International Canada site and in an article on the site, Indian Country, "Endorsing their rights".

PIVOT Legal Society, the Carnegie Community Action Project, and the Impact of the Olympics on Community Coalition have launched a complaint to the UN about the living conditions of residents in Vancouver's single room occupancy hotels. The formal complaint letter, facts of the complaint and supporting documentation is on the no place like home website.

Do Canada's social programmes satisfy our obligations under human rights treaties to which Canada is a signatory? What have UN treaty bodies said regarding Canada's compliance with its international human rights treaty obligations, particularly in respect of government obligations to have and maintain adequate social programmes? In this new, succinct and readable publication, Human Rights Treaty Obligations: The Consensus on Canada (in PDF), the Poverty and Human Rights Centre documents the consensus of the UN treaty bodies in major areas affecting the lives of poor Canadians. Advocates and lawyers, working with international human rights law, will find this law sheet indispensable. Also, watch for more Law Sheets to come from the Poverty and Human Rights Centre, on poverty issues and Canada's obligations under international human rights law.