Here are two reports the United Nations have released about Canada:

Canada ranked low in UN native report
Last Updated Mon, 11 Apr 2005 19:33:32 EDT
CBC News

GENEVA – Canada’s high ranking on the United Nations’ human development scale would dramatically drop if the country were judged solely on the economic and social well-being of its First Nations people.

According to a new UN report, Canada would be placed 48th out of 174 countries if judged on those criteria.

The low position is a significant drop from Canada’s usual top 10 ranking on the UN’s human development scale. Canada came in seventh in the last report but if the conditions of native people were the only qualifiers, the country’s ranking would plummet.

“Poverty, infant mortality, unemployment, morbidity, suicide, criminal detention, children on welfare, women victims of abuse, child prostitution, are all much higher among aboriginal people than in any other sector of Canadian society,” said the report issued by the UN Human Rights Commission.

UN special investigator Rodolfo Stavenhagen researched the plight of Canada’s indigenous peoples on a visit to the country from May 21 to June 4, 2004, at the invitation of the Canadian government. Stavenhagen pored over statistics and commission reports, and spoke with Inuit leaders.

“Economic, social and human indicators of well-being, quality of life and development are completely lower among aboriginal people than other Canadians,” said Stavenhagen, who also warns the housing, health and suicide situation is reaching crisis proportions.

He said the condition of aboriginal people in the country was “the most pressing human rights issue facing Canada.”

Among the problems highlighted in the report:

Poverty affects 60 per cent of aboriginal children.

The annual income of aboriginal people is “significantly lower” than other Canadians.

Unemployment is very high among aboriginals.

20 per cent of aboriginal people have inadequate water and sewer systems.

Aboriginals make up 4.4 per cent of the Canadian population but account for 17 per cent of the people in prison.

Cases of tuberculosis are six times higher than the rest of Canada.

Life expectancy among the Inuit is 10 years lower than the rest of Canada.

Paul Meyer, Canada’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, agrees the health of native people in Canada is “a matter of serious concern.” He referred to the recently launched Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable as the focus of efforts to improve the lives of First Nations people.

Canada failing to care for poor, disadvantaged: UN report
Last Updated Mon, 22 May 2006 16:32:47 EDT
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/MSN/world/n … anada.html

Canada is neglecting its poor and disadvantaged, a UN watchdog group charged Monday.

The report comes after an examination earlier this month of Canada’s compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, an international treaty that protects such rights.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights notes that Canada ranks at the top of the UN Human Development Index and praises it for improving equal pay for equal work, extending maternity benefits and plans to improve health care.

But it scolds Canada for failing to heed recommendations in two earlier reports aimed at improving the lives of aboriginals, youth, single mothers, African-Canadians, people with disabilities and women.

Poverty rate considered high

Despite Canada’s economic prosperity, the report says, roughly 11.2 per cent of the population lived in poverty in 2004. That is a drop from 13.7 per cent in 1998.

It says “… poverty rates remain very high among disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups such as Aboriginal peoples, African-Canadians, immigrants, persons with disabilities, youth, low-income women and single mothers.”

The report also criticizes Canada’s Employment Insurance program, saying in 2001, only 39 per cent of unemployed Canadians were eligible for EI benefits. Many groups have a difficult time getting benefits even though they pay into the plan, including migrant workers, and part-time workers, especially women, the report says.

Social assistance levels

The committee says federal transfer payments to the provinces for post-secondary education, social assistance and social services are lower than they were in 1995.

“Social assistance benefits … do not provide adequate income to meet basic needs for food, clothing and shelter,” the report says.

More than half of the food bank users in the country did receive social assistance benefits, but said the benefits weren’t enough to prevent them from having to use food banks, the report noted.

It recommends raising minimum wages and urges Ottawa to rethink its levels of federal transfer payments for social programs.

Aboriginals

There are “significant disparities” between aboriginals and the rest of the population in areas of employment, access to water, health, housing and education, it says.

Aboriginal women still face discrimination when it comes to property, Indian status and band membership, the report continues. It recommends amending the Indian Act.

The report also urges Canada to repeal section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, which prevents First Nations people from filing complaints of discrimination before a human rights commission or tribunal.

Children

Children from families that are low-income, single-mother, aboriginal or African-Canadian are “over-represented” in foster care, the report says. Many women are forced to give up their children because of inadequate housing.

Children make up 40 per cent of the country’s food bank users, the report says, while criticizing the deduction of child benefits from welfare cheques

Canada must take heed: advocate

A representative from an advocacy group says Canada must give this report serious attention since its recent inclusion in the new UN Human Rights Council.

“It really needs to take a look at its own human rights record before starting to criticize others,” said Emily Paradis, with the Feminist Organization for Women’s Advancement of Rights.

Paradis agrees poverty has increased among certain disenfranchised groups and that the gap between rich and poor has increased.

She blames cuts to social assistance, cuts to employment insurance and a low minimum wage,” she said.

“All were taken in the last decade in spite of annual growth and annual budget surpluses.”