FAAE Committee Report

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE SECOND REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

The Government of Canada has carefully considered the Second Report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development.

The Government would like to thank the members of the Committee for their efforts in preparing this report and welcomes their continuing interest on the issues of North Korea and human rights.

Below is the Government's response to recommendations made by the Committee. The Government of Canada fully agrees with the recommendations, and will undertake to implement them through various means, as appropriate.

At numerous occasions, the Government of Canada has voiced its concerns regarding the human rights situation in North Korea, through official statements in Canada and within international fora. In response to North Korea's aggressive actions - such as its sinking of a South Korean naval ship- the Government of Canada put in place a Controlled Engagement Policy (CEP), which limits to a minimum the scope of its bilateral relations with North Korea, except for the purpose of regional security and human rights. At the same time, the Government invoked the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA) to impose sanctions against North Korea. The SEMA regulations prohibit commercial exchanges, investments, financial services and the transfer of technology between Canada and North Korea. Canada also enforces existing UN sanctions adopted by the Security Council. The first, Resolution 1718 (2006), imposes sanctions against North Korea in response to a claim by North Korea that it conducted a test of a nuclear weapon. The second, Resolution 1874 (2009), strengthens the previous resolution and was adopted in response to another nuclear test.

Recommendation 1

The Government of Korea be condemned for the collective punishment, arbitrary detention, and the inhuman treatment of the inmates, amounting to crimes against humanity, in the political prison camps called Kwan-li-so".

In response to this recommendation, the Government of Canada underscores its well-known, clear and firm position on the human rights violations in North Korea. In addition to the measures already taken by Canada, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will issue a ministerial statement condemning the existence of political prison camps in North Korea. The Department of Foreign Affairs will also demarche the Permanent Representative of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea to the United Nations at the working level on this issue.

Recommendation 2

The Government of Canada be called upon to : a) request the UN Secretary-General to intervene in the case of Ms. Shin and her two daughters and, if still alive, allow their return home; (b) demand, along with the government of other UN member states, including those of South Korea and Germany, that the government of North Korea provide confirmation of the fate of Ms. Shin and her two daughters and, if still alive allow their return home; and (c) use, along with the governments of other UN member states, all available means to put pressure on the Government of North Korea for the dismantlement of the political prison camps called Kwan-li-so and the release of the inmates therein."

In response to these three recommendations, the Government of Canada will continue to use the established institutional procedures, where appropriate, within the UN system to address the issue of Ms. Shin and her two daughters and the broader situation of prison camps and human rights in North Korea, consistent with past practice. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will also write a letter to the UN Secretary-General to draw his attention to Canada's continued concern about these issues. In response to the sub-recommendation (c), the Government of Canada recalls that it has been taking extensive measures to put pressure on the Government of North Korea to improve its human rights situation, including the adoption of Special Economic Measures and a Controlled Engagement Policy, and will continue to seek opportunities to do so, such as through support for the UN General Assembly's and the UN Human Rights Committee's annual resolution on North Korea.