On the Side of the Angels
Canada and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
Description
When it comes to upholding human rights both at home and abroad, many Canadians believe that we have always been “on the side of the angels.” This book tells the story of Canada’s contributions – both good and bad – to the development and advancement of international human rights law at the Commission on Human Rights from 1946 to 2006. In it, Canada’s reputation is examined through its involvement in a number of contentious human rights issues – political, civil, racial, women’s, and Indigenous. An in-depth historical overview of six decades of Canadian engagement within the UN human rights system, this book offers new insights into the nuances, complexities, and contradictions of Canada’s human rights policies.
Reviews
Overall, Thompson charts the ups and downs—and eventual collapse—of the UNCHR. He does so from the vantage point of a middle power, whose officials were often frustrated by the inaction of the great powers and by the seeming overactivity of the smaller states of the Global South. In sum, On the Side of the Angels is a detailed and well-researched analysis that marks an important addition to the growing history of Canadian international human rights and the human rights revolution more generally.
- Asa McKercher, Royal Military College of Canada
On the Side of the Angels makes an important contribution to the existing scholarship by situating Canada and Canadian history into the broader study of the development of global human rights, something that has been lacking.
- Jennifer Tunnicliffe, University of Waterloo