Sun Jul 8, 11:02 PM
Canadian Press
MONTREAL (CP) - Liberal Leader Stephane Dion is urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to sign a United Nations declaration on the rights of native peoples.
In an open letter distributed on Sunday, Dion deplored the Conservative government's June 2006 decision to vote against the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Of the 47 member nations on the UN's human rights council, Canada and Russia are the only countries to oppose the declaration.
Dion said Canada has never attacked an international document on the protection of human rights. Canadians want their country to be perceived globally as a defender of human rights, he added.
Canada's position marks a significant shift from the country's traditional stance on the issue. It has helped promote and elaborate on the declaration for 20 years.
The UN declaration would guarantee "auto-determination" for indigenous peoples, giving them the right to reclaim traditional territory and refuse military activity upon traditional lands.
Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice has said the declaration is unconstitutional, could prevent military activities on aboriginal land and could harm existing land deals.
Prentice's spokeswoman said Sunday the Liberals are the only party changing their position on the declaration.
"No previous Canadian government has ever supported the document in its current form, and if the Liberals felt so strongly about it, they had 13 years to sign it," Deirdra McCracken wrote in an e-mail.
She said the government believes First Nations citizens should have the same access to human rights protection as every other Canadian.