On the Side of the Angels

When it comes to upholding human rights both at home and abroad, many Canadians would like to believe that we have always been on the side of the angels. This book tells the story of Canadas contributions both good and bad to the development and advancement of international human rights law at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) from 1946 to 2006. The CHR gave Canada the opportunity to forge a reputation as a human rights leader. This book scrutinizes this reputation by examining Canadas involvement in a number of contentious human rights issues political, civil, racial, womens, and Indigenous, among others. It finds that Canadas record was mixed, its priorities motivated by a variety of considerations, both domestic and international. An in-depth historical overview of six decades of Canadian engagement within the UN human rights system, On The Side of the Angels offers new insights into the nuances, complexities, and contradictions of Canadas human rights policies.