Change the World

The Best Man to Fight Child Prostitution: International Law, Canadian Law or Decriminalization? (Detailed outline)

Ji-Eun Kim, The Best Man to Fight Child Prostitution (25 Nov 2010) (Draft paper)

Water, development, and the public-private debate (Draft Paper)

Pablo Antezana Quiroga, "Water, development, and the public-private debate" (19 Nov 2010)

"The Right to Survive: Drinking Water Availability in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside" (Draft paper)

Mo Al Mehairbi, "The Right to Survive" (18 Nov 2010)

"Water as a human right – Inter-state dimensions" (Draft paper)

Gihan Indraguptha, Water as a human right" (18 Nov 2010)

"When Rights Conflict: Do supervised-injection sites raise competing human rights concerns?" (Draft paper)

See: Sam Eifling, "When Rights Conflict" (18 Nov 2010)

Recognizing the Human Right to Water: A Canadian Concern? (Draft paper)

David Morgan, Recognizing the Human Right to Water (16 November 2010)

Aboriginal Rights (draft paper section)

See: Forrest Barnum, Aboriginal Rights (16 Nov 2010)

Is there an international human right to a clean environment?

Marc Levesque, "Is there an international human right to a clean environment?" (detailed outline) 16 Nov. 2010

"Successful Decriminalisation: Supporting sex worker initiated projects to secure rights and dignities"

Hannah van Voorthuysen,  "Successful Decriminalisation" (draft paper) 16 Nov. 2010

"Virtuous Circles: embracing sexual human rights" (Draft Paper)

See: Frank Halderman, "Virtuous Circles" (15 Nov 2010)

“Sifting Through the Sand: A Comparative Case Study of Resource Extraction vis-à-vis Indigenous Peoples”

For our second draft paper, see: Scott Goosenberg, "Shifting Through the Sand"

Draft Paper: "From Statelessness to Global Citizenship"

For the first of our seminar's draft papers, see:

Matt Robinson & Tyler Harbottle, From Statelessness to Global Citizenship (12 Nov 2010)

Chantelle Bellrichard, "Failures in International Drug Control: Solutions for the Policy Vacuum"

Paper Outline

Addiction is a complex illness that cannot be effectively addressed by piecing together different, and often opposing, pieces of international law.  As long as addiction exists, the international community will struggle to control the illicit drug trade.  Outdated drug conventions, enforced by the International Narcotics Board (INCB) and the United Nations Narcotics Control Board (NCB), are in constant conflict with current human rights rhetoric.  An overwhelming amount of evidence reveals that that 'War on Drugs' has failed.  Anand Grover, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights confirmed these sentiments in October 2010. The illicit drug trade is worth an estimated $320 billion annually, a healthy economy in contrast to the struggling licit market.  The drug market flourishes, supply and demand continue to rule. Admitting the failures of current drug policy is the first step to recovery.  International drug control needs to be reorganized around a United Nations convention that exclusively asserts the rights of the addict.  

Marc Levesque: Beaver Lake Cree - Goals, Strategies, and Next Steps

Preamble: 

Aboriginal rights and environmental issues are often inextricably connected throughout instances of natural resource extraction around the globe. In many cases, the closer ties of indigenous populations to their environment mean they are often the first to be impacted by the effects of natural resource extraction on the environment. Though many nations, including Canada, have specific legislation or agreements in place to protect the way of life of these people, case studies from around the globe point to a systemic exploitation of indigenous peoples whenever natural resources (and the large sums of capital associated therewith) are in play. Without such agreements in place, it is likely that the international response to environmental damage would be far more muted. Based on the significant (though predominantly unsuccessful) way that indigenous groups have campaigned for their right to continue their traditional way of life in a clean environment, can we not infer the need for a general right to a clean environment to be enjoyed by all people, indigenous and other populations alike? More importantly, would there any possible international mechanisms for guaranteeing these rights, especially when in the indigenous context enforcement seems to be fundamentally lacking? The Canadian context is particularly interesting in this regard insofar as challenges are currently being presented to the government of Canada and the provincial government of Alberta by both indigenous and non-indigenous populations.

Email from Francis Scarpaleggia (Liberal MP and water critic)

Dear Mr. Morgan,

Thank you for your questions about the Liberal Caucus' position on the human right to water.  I very much appreciate your writing to me on this vital issue.

Water is one of the Liberal Caucus’ key policy priorities.  In 2005, I founded the National Liberal Water Caucus as a vehicle for Liberal M.P.s and Senators to give policy focus to water.  (Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians has in fact been a guest speaker at the caucus where she addressed the issue of the human right to water.)  Moreover, in 2007, through a motion tabled in the House of Commons, I called on the Conservative government to create a national water strategy, something the government has failed to do.  Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, however, has said that a Liberal government will create and implement a national water strategy.

Tyler Harbottle, "From Statelessness to Global Citizenship" (Paper outline)

Executive Summary and Recommendations

Introduction

Case Studies: The Plight of the Stateless

• Nubians in Kenya
• Roma in Europe
• The Lost Canadians