A Conference on Human Rights and Social Activism

I just attended a 2-day conference called Human Rights and Social Activism: Rethinking the Legacy of J.S. Woodsworth at the Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre (Vancouver, BC). The panels of speakers presented their papers and speeches about the following broad topics:

• Globalization, Institutions and Social Policy
• Woodsworth and Contemporary Labour Legislation
• Human Rights and Social Activism
• The Erosion of Woodsworth's Legacy: Perspectives on Vancouver
• Aboriginal Rights and Justice
• University and Community Activism
• Immigration/Multiculturalism
• Human Rights and Future Policy Discourse

All of the above are fitting topics in the tradition of social democracy, which is a backbone in the development of the Canadian society and politics.

It was not a large conference by any standards, as about 70 people attended, including professors, graduate students, activists, and ordinary citizens. But the topics were well chosen to represent the wide range of issues and challenges that face "social democrats" of our time.

Highlights:

• Linda Hancock (Social and International Studies, Deakin University, Australia) speaks about the erosion of the Australia welfare state as neo-liberalism becomes the dominant ideology in governance and policy development. She also refers to the "poor" rating of Australia as a global citizen (according to How Ethical is Australia? An Examination of Australia as a Global Citizen). She also observes that there are parallels between Australia and Canada.

• Eric Tucker (Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Canada) and Jim Sinclair (President, BC Federation of Labour) speaks about labour rights and the conditions of labour movement in the present time. While they come from different spheres of discourse, they are both making reference to the impact of globalization on local labour movements and rights. One particular challenge is how labour organizations in the world can work together to ensure that they are not broken by the globalized forces of neoliberal market strategies and powerful multinational corporations. Jim Sinclair points to global solidarity and institutional consolidation that today are even more critical for the labour movement than in the older days of capitalism.

• Gwen Brodsky (Co-Director, The Poverty and Human Rights Project, Vancouver, Canada) speaks about the "poor" and argues that poverty is indeed a "violation of human rights". In BC, the rolling back of the social safety net in the last few years has left the most vulnerable helpless. She urges for the development of a set of national standards for social programmes, so that the provinces have to be accountable to what they are doing with the federal money.

• Daniel Coleman (English, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada) speaks about the lingering of "white supremacy" in how Canadians define "civility". He argues that as Canada partakes in a liberal modernity, we are also caught in a paradox whereby the universality of human rights that we have defined for ourselves also includes an exclusion from that universality of those who are non-white. He points to what John Porter has called the Canadian vertical mosaic as an illustration of how Canadians believe that we are an equal society despite the constant presence of an elite class.

• Sven Robinson (former MP, currently BC Government and Service Employees Union) speaks from is personal experience the struggle for equality legislation in Canada. He talks about the efforts of discriminalizing abortion, legislating gay/lesbian rights, and adding anti-hate propaganda legislation into the Criminal Code.

Overall, the conference was an intellectually and emotionally enjoyable experience. On a personal note, I think there is much work to be done in the local (Vancouver) Chinese community about human rights education. In one of the presentations about Human Rights Commissions, the speakers pointed to the minimal reaction from the ethnic communities when the BC Human Rights Commission was closed down. I sat there agreeing that the Chinese community certainly did not say much. What is even more worrying is that there is now a strong voice in the Chinese community arguing that there is too much emphasis on human rights in Canada, and that this has led to the proliferation of irresponsible behaviours that include drug addiction, prostitution, gambling, etc. Such "misinterpretation" of human rights must be challenged with appropriate education in the community.