"...PROMISES TO KEEP..."

The national consultative process was taken at the initiative of the UNA-C, under the guidance of the Chair of its Standing Committee on Human Rights, the Honourable Walter McLean. He worked in close collaboration with Mr. Peter Globensky, a senior staff member seconded from the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development. This team was assisted by the UNA Canada staff, the consulting firm South House Exchange and volunteers in the regions of Canada. A national consultation strategy was developed by the above, with four key components, including round table or focus group meetings with representatives of NGOs and Aboriginal groups; interviews with officials from statutory human rights agencies and ombuds offices; briefings with elected officials who have responsibility for human rights and a 4-page questionnaire which was distributed nationally to a selection of some 175 organizations.

The views of three critical stakeholders were sought in the consultation. First, the representatives of the many non-governmental organizations, community groups concerned with social justice and human rights, and First Nations communities; second, the statutory human rights agencies at national and provincial levels along with the offices of the ombudsman. The latter was chosen because of their ongoing legislative and educational interest in human rights. Third, political leadership at both federal and provincial levels to determine the degree of political interest in the issue.

Round table meetings were held in all ten provinces, in 15 cities from Victoria to St. John's. Some sessions had a large participation, with over 25 attending, and others were smaller, with 10 to 15 activists debating and discussing their views and plans. Overall, the reactions of over 350 representatives were gathered in this process. The participants came from a wide cross-section of NGOs and community-based groups and Aboriginal organizations. In Ottawa, where so many NGOs and Aboriginal groups have their national offices, five additional focus groups were convened, so that representatives could meet and spark ideas off each other. Another focus group in Ottawa brought together 14 graduating high school students who explored the UDHR, most of them for the first time, and then generated many exciting ideas about how young people could be exposed to the issues surrounding human rights and how they could get involved in advancing them.

The discussions in all these meetings were invariably lively and rapid-paced and hope followed hard on the heels of every hurdle that was identified. One common element to every session was the ongoing difficult economic times and the effort required to prevent the marginalization of human rights in the current political climate.

Another group whose views were considered to be of the utmost importance were the national and provincial statutory human rights agencies and the Ombudsman or their representatives in all provinces. Messrs McLean and Globensky met with every human rights commission or council and ombuds office at the federal and provincial levels to ascertain the level of interest and commitment to an anniversary effort. Without exception, the interest was positive and action-oriented. Further, they met with 30 ministers and parliamentarians and eight of the 10 provincial ministers responsible for human rights to glean their level of interest on the prospect of an anniversary year.

Another important element of the consultation process was a four-page questionnaire (in French or English) that was mailed to 175 organizations across the country, mainly to areas outside the purview of the 15 cities where round table meetings were held. There was a 15% rate of response, which is considered an above-average return in polling circles. The questionnaire was also put on the Internet on the UNA-C's home page. The consultation began in February and concluded in June 1996. The list of participants and questionnaire respondents is listed as Annex A, and is available upon request.

Although the Alberta and British Columbia Human Rights Offices do represent the views of the Northwest and Yukon Territories to some extent, it must be noted that a more comprehensive polling of opinion in the Territories was curtailed by budgetary limitations. While it was initially anticipated that round tables would be conducted in Whitehorse and Yellowknife, insufficient funds precluded such events. However, some of the questionnaire respondents offered views and suggestions from these locations.