’WPC‘ ’7LÄD–Ļ6egˆ,Ŗƒwdz“ą,š_³¶esc˜×Ŗ»ö†ē§Q'oHŁ#¢ŲĘc²H<œ>G'%łn‘ ļŚ q†„± [åčuI6˜' ołNC^ EwQ4Uix mz˜HP LaserJet 6P/6MP - StandardČŠššČŠ0(ČhH  Z‹6Times New Roman RegularX(ūœ$””ŌUKUS.,Ōō\  `&Times New Romanu>, tQ+œ_Ÿ3|x’U‹’ĄĄĄŻ ƒūœ!ŻŌUKUS.,ŌŻ  ŻŌ_Ōņ ņŌ‡XŚĪXXXŌŌ‡¼{Ä»XXŚĪŌŌUSUK.,ŌÓ  ÓCANADAŌ#†XŚĪX»¼{Ä_#ŌŠ ° ŠÓÓÓÓĢŌ#†XŚĪXXXŚĪ@#ŌŌUK.,US.,~ŌSpecial€Decisions€or€Action€Taken€Re:€ReportingŌ‡XŚĪXXXŚĪŌŌUSUK.,ŌŠ ø ŠŌUK.,US.,†ŌŌ#†XŚĪXXXŚĪg#ŌŌ‡XŚĪXXXŚĪŌĢŌ_ŌCESCRŌ_Ō€€E/1997/22ó óŠ ˜č ŠĢņņChapter€VIŠ x Č ŠĢóóReview€of€Methods€of€Work€of€the€CommitteeŠ X Ø ŠĢB.€ņņDecisions€adopted€by€the€Committee€at€its€fifteenth€sessionóóŠ 8ˆ  ŠĢ...ņņŠ h  ŠĢMatters€for€special€attentionóóŠ ųH  ŠĢ391.ą  ąThe€Committee€took€note€of€a€wide€range€of€correspondence,€documentation€and€otherŠ Ų( Šmaterials€provided€to€it€by€various€sources€in€relation€to€its€work€and€decided€that€letters€should€beŠ Č Šsent€by€its€Chairperson€to€the€Governments€of€Canada...€in€relation€to€those€matters€identified€by€theŠ ø ŠCommittee€as€warranting€special€attention.ŌUSUK.,Ōņ ņó óŠ Øų ŠĢĢĢĢĢĢĢĢŌ#†XŚĪXXXŚĪź#ŌŌ‡XŚĪXXXŚĪŌŌUK.,US.,üŌŌUSUK.,ŌŌUK.,US.,ŌŌUSUK.,ŌŌ#†XŚĪXXXŚĪT#ŌŌ‡XŚĪXXXŚĪŌņ ņŠ  h ŠĢŌ_ŌCESCRŌ_Ō€€E/1998/22ó óŠ  š ŠĢAnnex€VIIIŠ €Š ŠĢņņLetter€addressed€by€the€Ō_ŌChargŌ_Ō€d'affaires€a.i.,€Permanent€Mission€of€Canada€to€the€United€NationsŠ ` ° ŠOffice€at€Geneva,€to€Mr.€Philip€Alston,€Chairperson€of€the€Committee€on€Economic,€Social€andŠ P   ŠCultural€RightsóóŠ @  Šą  ąĢ13€October€1997Š  p  ŠĢDear€Mr.€Alston,Š P  ŠĢI€am€writing€further€to€your€letter€of€27€May€1997,€regarding€Canada's€third€periodic€report€to€theŠ ą0  ŠCommittee€on€Economic,€Social€and€Cultural€Rights.Š Š  ŠĢIn€your€letter€you€indicated€that€the€Committee€intends€to€consider€Canada's€third€periodic€report€atŠ ° Šits€eighteenth€session,€in€the€spring€of€1998.€However,€it€has€been€brought€to€my€attention€that€underŠ  š Šthe€normal,€established€procedures€this€report€would€be€considered€no€earlier€than€1999.Š ą ŠĢAfter€a€careful€review€of€the€situation,€Canada€has€concluded€that€there€are€no€special€circumstancesŠ pĄ Šwhich€might€necessitate€early€consideration€of€Canada's€report€by€the€Committee.€Given€this,€andŠ `° Štaking€into€account€our€other€reporting€obligations€at€this€time,€I€must€inform€you€that€Canada€is€notŠ P  Šprepared€to€appear€before€the€Committee€at€its€eighteenth€session.€Naturally,€we€will€be€happy€toŠ @ Špresent€our€report€at€a€time€consistent€with€the€regular,€established€procedures€of€the€Committee.Š 0€ ŠĢĢĢYours€sincerely,€Š š@ ŠĢĢĢAndrew€Ō_ŌMcAlisterŌ_ԀР°"  ŠŌ_ŌChargŌ_Ō€d'affaires€a.i.€Š  #š! ŠPermanent€Mission€of€Canada€Š $ą" Što€the€United€Nations€Office€at€GenevaŠ €%Š # ŠĢą  ąą ` ąą ø ąą  ąą h ąĢĢĢŠ  0*€%( Šą  ąą ` ąą ø ąą  ąą h ąĢĢAnnex€IXŠ ą ŠĢņņLetter€addressed€by€the€Chairperson€of€the€Committee€on€Economic,€Social€and€Cultural€Rights€toŠ pĄ ŠMr.€Andrew€Ō_ŌMcAlisterŌ_Ō,€Ō_ŌChargŌ_Ō€d'affaires€a.i.,€Permanent€Mission€of€Canada€to€the€United€NationsŠ ` ° ŠOffice€at€GenevaóóŠ P   ŠĢ29€October€1997Š 0 € ŠĢDear€Mr.€Ō_ŌMcAlisterŌ_Ō,Š `  ŠĢI€am€responding€to€your€letter€of€13€October€1997€regarding€the€timing€of€the€presentation€ofŠ š@  ŠCanada's€third€periodic€report€to€the€Committee€on€Economic,€Social€and€Cultural€Rights.€ThereŠ ą0  Šwould€seem€to€be€several€misunderstandings€and€I€would€like€to€clarify€these€in€the€hope€that€we€canŠ Š  Šagree€to€maintain€the€existing€timetable€set€by€the€Committee.Š Ą ŠĢThe€letter€suggests€that,€in€scheduling€Canada's€report€for€consideration€in€the€spring€of€1998,€theŠ  š ŠCommittee€has€failed€to€follow€its€š šnormal,€established€proceduresšš.€The€letter€does€not€elaborateŠ ą Šon€this€point€but€I€can€assure€you€that€it€is€not€correct.€On€a€number€of€occasions€the€Committee€hasŠ €Š Šmade€adjustments€to€its€scheduling,€in€response€to€a€variety€of€factors.€To€my€knowledge€no€StateŠ pĄ Šparty€has€challenged€the€appropriateness€of€the€Committee€using€such€a€flexible€and€rationalŠ `° Šapproach.€In€the€case€of€Canada,€as€well€as€in€other€cases,€including€several€which€are€currentlyŠ P  Špending,€the€Committee€has€explicitly€indicated€that€it€will€adjust€the€scheduling€of€considerationŠ @ Šof€the€report€in€the€light€of€all€the€relevant€circumstances.€I€would€venture€to€add€that,€even€if€suchŠ 0€ Šprecedents€were€not€already€clearly€established,€the€Committee€would€not€feel€bound€to€maintainŠ  p Šan€anachronistic€and€counterproductive€approach€which€it€considered€to€be€clearly€Ō_ŌsuboptimalŌ_Ō€bothŠ ` Šfrom€the€perspective€of€the€State€party€and€from€that€of€the€Committee.€Ultimately€any€treaty€bodyŠ P Šmust€retain€control€over€its€own€procedures€and,€in€this€case,€there€can€be€no€doubt€that€theŠ š@ ŠCommittee€has€acted€in€accordance€with€those€procedures.€It€is€also€of€relevance€in€this€respect€thatŠ ą0 Šthe€Committee's€approach€conforms€entirely€with€the€practice€of€the€Human€Rights€Committee,Š Š  Šwhich€has€shown€major€flexibility€in€timing€and€has€been€prepared€to€take€account€of€a€wide€varietyŠ Ą! Šof€considerations.Š °"  ŠĢThe€letter€states€that€š šCanada€has€concluded€that€there€are€no€special€circumstances€which€mightŠ $ą" Šnecessitate€early€consideration€of€Canada's€report€by€the€Committeešš.€As€indicated€above,€this€isŠ €%Š # Šhardly€an€assessment€which€is€to€be€made€by€the€reporting€State.€In€this€case,€the€self„assessmentŠ p&Ą!$ Šwould€appear€to€overlook€entirely€the€lengthy€and€very€particular€circumstances€of€the€situation.€TheŠ `'°"% Šmatter€has€been€under€consideration€for€a€very€long€time€and€the€Committee€has€made€clear€in€aŠ P( #& Šseries€of€communications€to€the€Government€of€Canada€that€it€is€anxious€to€move€ahead€and€examineŠ @)$' Šthe€situation.€Thus,€for€example,€the€Committee's€letter€of€5€December€1996€recalled€its€earlier€letterŠ 0*€%( Šof€4€May€1995€in€which€it€had€indicated€that€it€would€welcome€the€Government's€observations€onŠ  +p&) Šthat€issue€in€the€context€of€Canada's€third€periodic€report,€which€was€due€in€1995.€The€CommitteeŠ ,`'* Šobserved€that€it€had€š šreceived€no€reply€to€that€letter,€nor€has€the€overdue€report€been€€receivedšš.€ItŠ -P(+ Šattached€copies€of€various€submissions€received€in€the€meantime€from€groups€representing€a€diverseŠ š-@), Šrange€of€non„governmental€organizations€in€Canada€and€noted€that,€in€view€of€Š ° ŠĢš šthe€gravity€of€the€concerns€that€have€been€raised,€the€Committee€would€greatly€appreciate€an€urgentŠ ą Šindication€as€to€when€the€third€periodic€report€will€be€submitted.€If€the€timing€of€the€submission€ofŠ €Š Šthe€report€is€not€likely€to€be€such€as€to€provide€the€Committee€with€a€timely€opportunity€to€reviewŠ pĄ Šthe€matters€in€question,€consideration€will€need€to€be€given€to€an€alternative€means€by€which€theŠ ` ° ŠCommittee€might€give€effect€to€its€responsibilities€under€the€Covenant.ššŠ P   ŠĢAs€early€as€1994,€discussions€were€held€with€representatives€of€your€Government€in€which€it€wasŠ 0 € Šagreed€that€the€Committee€would€not€seek€to€proceed€in€the€absence€of€a€report€but€would€rather€waitŠ  p  Šuntil€a€report€was€submitted,€provided€that€this€was€done€in€reasonable€time.€It€was€always€clear€thatŠ `  Šthe€Committee€would€then€wish€to€move€as€rapidly€as€possible€to€examining€the€report€in€question.Š P  ŠĢThe€precedent€which€would€be€set€if€the€Committee€were€to€abdicate€to€every€State€party€the€rightŠ ą0  Što€determine€when€its€report€was€considered,€or€if€the€Committee€were€to€be€strictly€bound€by€theŠ Š  Šchronological€order€which€is€determined€entirely€by€the€timeliness€or€otherwise€of€the€State€party'sŠ Ą Šsubmission€of€the€report,€would€have€potentially€very€adverse€consequences€for€the€work€of€theŠ ° ŠCommittee€and€for€the€monitoring€system€as€a€whole.€The€Committee€has€been€praised€by€StatesŠ  š Šparties€generally€for€its€willingness€to€adopt€procedures€designed€to€improve€the€functioning€of€theŠ ą Šsystem,€and€it€has€done€so€even€in€relation€to€the€situation€in€which€Governments€have€persistentlyŠ €Š Šfailed€to€report.€It€would€be€both€sad€and€ironic€if€Canada,€which€has€so€strongly€supported€theseŠ pĄ Šdevelopments€and€the€evolution€of€the€treaty€monitoring€system€generally,€were€to€see€itself€as€beingŠ `° Šable€unilaterally€to€stand€aside€from€the€application€of€approaches€which€it€has€been€happy€to€seeŠ P  Šapplied€and€developed€in€relation€to€other€countries€and€by€other€treaty€bodies.Š @ ŠĢThere€is,€in€my€view,€also€a€question€of€good€faith.€After€repeated€indications€that€the€issues€firstŠ  p Šraised€by€the€Committee€some€four€years€ago€(and€with€two€federal€elections€having€occurred€inŠ ` ŠCanada€since€the€Committee€last€considered€an€already€overdue€report)€would€be€dealt€withŠ P Šexpeditiously,€it€is€hardly€appropriate€for€the€State€party€to€announce€at€the€last€moment€that€it€isŠ š@ Šunwilling€to€cooperate€with€the€Committee€unless€it€can€choose€its€own€timing.Š ą0 ŠĢThe€position€suggested€in€your€letter€would€result€in€a€situation€in€which,€after€making€repeatedŠ Ą! Šrequests€for€a€report€to€be€submitted€as€soon€as€possible€(a€procedure€which€has€been€appliedŠ °"  Šsparingly,€but€nevertheless€in€a€significant€number€of€cases)€and€asking€that€matters€which€haveŠ  #š! Šgiven€rise€to€particular€concern€on€the€part€of€the€Committee€be€addressed,€the€Committee€then€letŠ $ą" Šthe€report€sit€and€become€out€of€date€for€a€further€one€or€two€years.€Indeed,€it€is€not€easy€toŠ €%Š # Šcomprehend€why€any€Government€would€seek€to€insist€on€delaying€the€examination€of€its€reportŠ p&Ą!$ Šuntil€such€time€as€it€was€clearly€out€of€date.€That€would€make€a€mockery€of€the€Committee€and€itsŠ `'°"% Šprocedures€and€would€privilege€formalistic€considerations€at€the€expense€of€efforts€to€protect€humanŠ P( #& Šrights€and€to€ensure€that€the€objectives€established€by€the€Covenant€are€pursued€by€all€appropriateŠ @)$' Šmeans.Š 0*€%( ŠĢIn€conclusion,€I€very€much€hope€that€the€Government€of€Canada€will€reconsider€its€position€in€theŠ ,`'* Šlight€of€the€clarifications€offered€in€this€letter€and€will€accept€the€timing€which€has€been€determinedŠ -P(+ Šby€the€Committee€in€accordance€with€its€rules€of€procedure€and€which€accurately€reflects€theŠ š-@), Šlegitimate€expectations€that€have€been€generated€at€every€step€of€this€already€rather€drawn€outŠ ° Šprocess.€I€would€be€grateful€for€your€early€advice€so€that€I€can€know€whether€or€not€to€circulate€thisŠ  š Šcorrespondence€to€all€members€of€the€Committee€in€advance€of€the€next€session€and€to€schedule€theŠ ą Šmatter€for€urgent€consideration.Š €Š ŠĢĢĢYours€sincerely,€Š @  ŠĢĢĢPhilip€Alston€Š P  ŠChairperson,€Committee€on€Š š@  ŠEconomic,€Social€and€Cultural€Rights€Š ą0  ŠĢŌ_ŌŌ_ŌŌUK.,US.,¹ŌŌ#†XŚĪXXXŚĪī#ŌÓźÓ