Reporting to the Human Rights Committee: The Canadian Experience

Summary In 1966, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Once it had acceded to the Covenant, Canada undertook the obligation to make regular reports to the Human Rights Committee (the independent body of experts established under the Covenant) in regard to its protection of human rights and its progress in implementing the new treaty. In the next few pages, the four reports submitted by Canada, as well as the comments issued by committee members in the course of analysis of these reports, are examined, so as to get a better sense of whether, and to what extent, Canada is fulfilling its Covenant commitments.