We can create a political voice for the children.
	Without a vision you have no goal.
	We spent billions of dollars on "Y2K" - if we’d put that money into our ghettos & to our poor, we could have brought in the year 2000 in a much better way.
	Solutions have to come from the bottom up - they do not come from the top down - has to be something different from the bottom - not from government top down.
	Social violence always leads to actual violence.
	US is spending millions of dollars on prisons - if they spent that money on the ghettos they wouldn’t need the prisons - "duh"!
	Sexism is another form of violence.
	Women need to have the voice of the womb - catch line is: "it’s a womb thing stupid" - the mothers’ loss of a child is the worst thing ever - rage at that - rage that any woman in the world has to go through that - if you love me you’ll feed my children.
	Burma - visited the children and heard their horrific stories.
	Tears without anger aren’t worth much - you have to act.
	The bottom line is that human rights start in your living room.
	Flag waving is silly to me - the priorities are wrong - if we were committed to human rights we would make sure our neighbour has a loaf of bread to eat - not worrying about burning a flag - a piece of material.
	The concepts of "just war" and "accidents of war" - there is no such thing - there is no accident in war.
	It is like the death penalty - we kill people to tell them that killing people is wrong - "hello?!"
	Most of the people on death row in the US are Black - "hello?" Something is wrong with that.
	We all have to climb for justice (paraphrase of Martin Luther King).
	There’s room for all of us.
	What are human rights? Can only answer for yourself - freedom belongs inside of you.
	If you want your government to act better, you have to act better & be a role model.
	You have to say to your government - "do something about it" - because it will become a problem again - people (especially women and mothers) have long memories & will remember if their child was not housed or fed - You have to do something about it.
	Work with women who are determined to change the world for the children.
	As women get empowered they’re doing things from a feminine point of view - changing the world for the children.
	www.centersofcompassion.org   - universal declaration of the rights of the child.
	Children of the earth for World Peace Summit - want to have it in front of the UN.
	China is the most favoured nation at the UN - rage at that because they have some of the worst human rights violations - it’s not the people who are bad - it’s the governments.
	Shouldn’t place a nation as favoured unless every human right is guaranteed - shouldn’t simply be based on economics.
	We have to create a political voice for the children at the UN or else the convention and declarations won’t work.
	Changing the law & actual implementation are very different things - it takes about 10 - 20 years for implementation to happen.
	The journey begins with the first step. You have to have patience. You get patience by waiting & continuing to force the issue.

	Queer youth often end up leaving school.
	In Vancouver 40% of street youth identify as gay or lesbian - only about 10% of the entire population identify as such.
	Queer youth are 8 times more likely to commit suicide.
	When queer youth are visible they’re led to "rehabilitative therapy" and are told to change - it’s like telling someone in a wheelchair that if they really wanted to they could walk.

	The government needs to get its act together & help youth & sexually exploited youth.
	Safe houses/transition houses/ advocacy groups - that is where the money needs to go.
	Where is the youth participation in the government decision making about youth?
	Youth aren’t asking to be locked up - they are asking for safe houses, rehabilitation, etc.
	We need to protect sexually exploited youth - not punish them.
	We need to help the youth.
	September 7 - Save the children - public forum on secure care.

	Brief history of Aboriginal People and their struggles.
	The vote, laws/court/justice, residential schools.
	Suicide rates (6 times the national average)
	Prisons - some have up to 86% of prisoners who are Aboriginal, but only 3% of the general population is Aboriginal.
	Education rates - completion rate of high school is 30%, only 30% of those go on to post secondary & 30% of those graduate from post secondary.
	Starlight Tour - Sask. - First Nations/homeless/transient men - the police were dropping them off outside of the city without jacket, shoes, etc. - 2 First Nations men were found dead - no charges ever laid - 2 officers were given a 60 day suspension.
	Serious problem with the justice that is going on today.
	Land claims - foundation for creating equality for First Nation people in Canada - once we’re able to deal equitably with land claims - the other way is through education.
	A lot of economic issues - Aboriginal People who live on reserves are wards of the state, don’t own the land - First Nations people were not allowed to participate in pre-emption (160 acres per person) - First Nations received 10 acres per family & were not able to own it.

	Founded Students & Teachers Opposing Prejudices (STOP) in Red Deer where he teaches.
	The initiative for the group was really student centered.
	The students choose what issues they are interested in, make plans & take action.

	Go ahead & make waves even if you’re not the one being discriminated against.
	10-80-10 rule - 10% of the population will support you, 10% of the population will oppose you, 80% are not sure - their minds aren’t made up yet.
	Don’t focus on the 10 % groups, focus on the 80% who you can influence.
	Have to make it easy for those who you are going to need help from.

	Human rights in the cold war - polarity/fundamentalist.
	Some descended to farce - element of travesty - the worst countries are on board first.
	1980s less than 1% of the budget was devoted to human rights.
	Changed in the 1990s - Vienna - with "Women’s Rights are Human Rights" - sexual rights also came to the forefront in Vienna.
	The extraordinary power of the women’s movement came to fruition & forced governments to take a stand.
	At Beijing +5 we have made significant process but it all started in Vienna.
	But needed more - made the appointment of Mary Robinson as the Commissioner of Human Rights at the UN.
	Suddenly the international forum was looking at issues like debt, education, homelessness, etc. in a human rights context.
	Fall of 1996 announced that money was going to 40 of the most poor developing countries to relieve debt, but only 3 countries have gotten money so far and it was a pittance - it’s not working.
	The way we deal with impunity - suddenly in the course of the 90s criminal tribunals - Pinochet, Camer Rouge, etc.
	All is going by the boards as the whole world is seeing the importance of human rights.
	Millennium Assembly - document goes as far to say that when it can be identified that a country is violating human rights the UN MUST consider sending in troops on a violation.
	It may be that we’ve come to a point where gross violations of human rights will no longer be tolerated or watched while we stand idly by.
	Horrors: i.e., Polytechnique d’espoir - where women go to get support after being sexually violated during the course of the genocide - so many of them had been so hurt that they couldn’t see what the point of support was. Stephen shared some of the women’s stories.
	How does this happen and the whole world does not do anything?
	All around the world people are mobilizing so this will not happen again.
	Human rights are all linked.
	Growth in covenants - Convention on the Rights of the Child, and on Women, etc.
	The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the international covenant which has made the single most important impact.
	190 of 193 have signed - Somalia & the US haven’t ratified but Somalia is getting closer. The US hasn’t signed because it diminishes the rights of parents.
	This convention has done what no other could do.
	The principle of indivisibility - all rights are equal - none over the other - means that the machine of economic/social/human rights are indivisible.
	Pillars - basic need for survival, the right to take part in decisions.
	All over the world you can’t get away without the inclusion of children/youth because of the force of the convention. Can no longer get away with patronizing indifference.
	The rate of implementation of the convention has erased cynicism.
	The convention has had an effect all over the world - sexual exploitation issues in Thailand have been given legitimacy; child labour in Pakistan; Chinese orphanages - UNICEF got the right to inspect orphanages, train the employees & make changes to help the situation; female genital mutilation - laws discussions, changes; capital punishment.
	Economic, social, civic & political issues are dealt with in the convention.
	Generates debates on human rights issues etc. - fear of sanctions, embarrassment.
	Can’t get over the way in which ideas take hold & people come together to fight.
	Interesting how ideas come together around issues:
	HIV/AIDS - adolescent girls are becoming an "endangered species" - now being put in the framework of rights - right to know status; right to pharmaceuticals; right to choose in a different way (i.e., breastfeeding - cost of formula etc.); right to treatment; right to say no; right to know that HIV is a gendered disease - especially in sub-Saharan Africa; right of the child, etc.
	Opposition to Globalization - growing in weight & assembly - youth lead a large part of the struggle.
	Question of gender/struggle is never ending - ongoing & one of the most difficult ever.
	Aboriginal rights & rights of people with disabilities - large issues that no one has ever agreed on.
	The infrastructure is there - we need to push the laws to the limits, press the issues to the furthest stretch.

	Director, Community Relations Service, US Department of Justice.
	We live in a shrinking world - transparency (media etc.). So we see daily how the promise of fairness, equity, etc. is compromised.
	Have come a far way but racial profiling, hate crimes, etc. remind us that there is a long way to go. Examples of recent hate crimes.
	We’ve seen what’s going on in other countries (globalization, wars, policies) - these conflicts are creating fault lines in our own communities.
	Conflicts arise in places where demographics have changed rapidly.
	After the Vietnam War when refugees were parachuted in - communities were ill prepared for the change - resulted in conflict.
	When people come to cities (i.e., Florida) where the policies made for 1 group of people, conflict arises. Examples: Korean grocers in urban areas - conflict arises; Los Angeles - beatings & riots; Vietnamese in the Texas Gulf shrimp fishery - (economic) conflict - in competition with other fishermen.
	Negative images/stereotypes in film/media etc. create conflict.
	Competition for housing and jobs - differences in how cities are dealing with the influx - some protect them, some abuse them or leave them in fear.
	Migration of an international workforce has created conflict.
	US is still trying to deal with the ugly face of intolerance and bigotry, but also other forces as well - conflict, competition, globalization.
	Have tried to make progress at the federal level, but they realize it needs to be worked on from a local/community level.
	How can we better prevent or resolve these conflicts?
	"We must be the change we wish to see in this world" - Ghandi

	Women & poverty - growing gap between the rich & poor & growing at an alarming rate.
	1973 - richest 10% of families with kids made 21 times more than the poorest. In 1996 - 314 times more.
	Poverty rates headed by young people (under 25) is 46% (was 22% in 1981).
	Poorest of the poor in Canada are women.
	Single mothers actually average $9,000 below the poverty line. This is the result of the patriarchy - punishment of women who don’t live with men or get assistance from men with their kids - what happens to young people in the lower mainland is an indicator of this.
	Is it a new phenomenon? Or is it the systems in place that are based on women’s poverty?
	It’s absolutely systemic - systems built on and rely on women’s poverty - patriarchy, colonialism & capitalism.
	Capitalism is built on women’s poverty - relies on reducing people to the whims of those in power.
	Colonialism - relies on grand scale theft of indigenous land & ignoring indigenous culture & custom.
	We live in a place where thieves and pirates are rewarded. Each system relies on the other to ensure the oppression of women.
	Ironically, capitalism actually cheapened our labour.
	Systems continue to flourish - Globalization: it’s a different name for white capitalist patriarchy.
	The existence of something called the third world is a result of globalizing white patriarchal capitalism.
	Globalization - re-colonization.
	Globalization = labour of women - no surprise that the UN started looking at women in the 1980s.
	Women are the most competitive workers - cheapest labour = indigenous women because of a system that devalued/demeaned these women for 500 years.
	In globalization we are seeing the erection of more and more borders, not the deconstruction of borders.
	Globalization is the re-drawing of lines/barriers between people (white, people of colour; men, women; etc.).
	Hidden hand of the market relies on the hidden fist of the state.
	The nation state was born out of globalization.

	Alaska Athabascan - lawyer.
	Fight for self-determination both nationally and internationally.
	By advancing self-determination as a human rights issue & as group rights they’ve gotten further but not very far.
	ILO convention - only convention that deals specifically with indigenous people.
	Convention has been criticized by indigenous people by failing to lay out the right to self-determine.
	Draft UN declaration about self-determination - on rights of indigenous peoples was finished in 1993.
	Passed to the Human Rights Commission in 1994 - raporteur - 3 elements that differentiate it from others: legal personality, territorial security & international authority.
	Open ended group looking at the draft. Result: draft had a lot of support from indigenous people.
	US response: should it look at the collective rights rather than individual rights - ignores the right of all individuals to self-determination, which some feel leads to the right of independent statehood & international legal forum.
	Right of a tribe to continue to exist is a collective right - if the tribe no longer exists then the individual right to self-determine as a member of the tribe is no longer an issue.
	Defining self-determination - indigenous, but some define it as a right to a ‘ruling’ state - won’t sign it unless the term is removed (because it is so politically charged) or at least qualified.
	Indigenous people feel they have the right to this.

	Colonization - new world countries - basically immigrant.
	Checkered past of Canada - Aboriginal, Chinese, Japanese people, etc.
	Creating an inclusive society (trying to) through the Human Rights Act, the Charter of Rights & Freedoms, etc.
	Constant change and evolution of the country.
	Acts that serve the purpose of social justice & inclusion. Laws can’t make them happen, they have to be seen as a mission statement and need to be helped by good policy.
	Government is working with civil society. The government needs to help civil society (money, resources, etc.) to ensure participation.
	Not just because it feels good: it helps the economy, helps with civil peace, etc.
	Social unrest indicates that government isn’t engaging civil society properly.
	Citizenship - being part of the group is important to a sense of belonging but the differences are important too. Part of the group but a diverse group.
	We need to deal with diversity with integration instead of assimilation.
	Keeping a group identity allows people, if they choose, to stay comfortable.
	Societal integration but with a group identity.
	Equality isn’t about sameness, but about recognizing differences.

How to be an individual but a group; how to create a sense of oneness & a sense of a group?

Challenges:

	Multicuturalism isn’t just about immigrants and new arrivals, it’s about all people in Canada.
	Move toward a right wing agenda: anti-immigrant & anti-refugee sentiment, backlash. Illegal immigrant - feeling that they are draining our resources and taking away from everyone else.
	Increasing anti-indigenous sentiment: Many feel that Aboriginal people should just be let go off on their own. More and more right wing feelings (this is my land, my grandfathers land and there was no one before that). Have to find a way to assist Aboriginal people by working with them - doesn’t sit well with those who think we should all be treated exactly the same.
	How the public service reflects the diversity of the population: How do we make our public institutions open to all & reflect the diversity of our population? (i.e., RCMP - turban).

	Working at End Legislative Poverty was her first experience working outside of the Aboriginal community.
	Issues that women deal with keep them poor: immigrant women, Aboriginal women, immigration laws, legislation around the Aboriginal community.
	Indian Act - status card saying "I’m Indian" - appalling that there are 29 definitions of what is Indian - no other community needs a card to show their ancestry.

	Key Reserve Sask. - never been on that reserve. Grandmother married an Irish man & lost her status so not an Indian under the law.
	The way the government has tried to divide & conquer.
	Has been consciously working in this field for 10 years, but longer really (as a woman all of her life).
	Home visit by welfare worker - the questions he asked were humiliating - he made comments about the house, about how she was living with another woman - she knew it made her feel bad, but didn’t think that there was anything she could do about it & thought she just had to answer the questions.
	Because she didn’t know her rights she felt that she had to answer. She felt sick - to her, that’s what classism is about & what being a woman is about.

	Sole bread winner for husband & 4 kids. In a sense she chose to be poor because she chose to have kids and have 1 parent stay at home - shouldn’t be a choice to make.
	Not on government assistance because the government made it clear they weren’t going to support someone who so openly opposes them.
	Statistics Canada - poverty line - $38,323 for a family of 6 - her income is 25,000.
	Policies that exist are set up to disadvantage families with children.
	Family of 6 on welfare get $1400/month but if kids are put in foster care, the foster parents would get $1900/month -????
	Last cut off social assistance right after the birth of her 4th child - went to appeal it and the department representative to the appeal board said "isn’t there any limit to how many children these people can have?". Shows the assumptions about how things are.
	Charity is the haves giving to the have nots - it takes away dignity and respect and just relieves the guilt of the haves.
	Stay at home parent’s work is devalued.
	There is a lot of government rhetoric around the importance of children, but day care workers are paid the least and stay at home parents are completely devalued.

	Tried to do research on poverty & lesbians - Statistics Canada doesn’t keep statistics on gays & lesbians.
	High rates of poverty among lesbians and transgendered.
	Barriers come from attitudes (of service providers, etc.) - goes as far as to say women with disabilities don’t want it (training, education, work).
	Training/work program - need to be on Employment Insurance for a certain amount of time but most women with disabilities don’t qualify because many have stayed at home.
	Programs aren’t accessible, flexible, etc., so women with disabilities are excluded.
	Exclusion from education - programs/institutions think most of the time it’s too much of a bother to deal with people with disabilities.
	Women with disabilities face barriers in just accessing information/care providers - not in accessible formats, not written in plain language.
	Many women with disabilities rely on others so they are even more reluctant to rock the boat because they fear that assistance and benefits will be pulled. For example - Quebec - if you volunteer for a non-profit you can lose your disability benefits - but most employers won’t hire someone for 2 hours a day or week so you can’t get out there.

	Accessibility to day care - i.e., Alberta - if you’re on assistance you have to go back to work when your baby is 6 months but most day cares won’t take the child until they’re 18 months.
	Health care is inaccessible - i.e., Alberta - new program where kids are covered but adults aren’t, so if a single mom gets sick they have to choose either treatment or feeding their children.
	Minimum wage - how can you support kids on that? (Alberta $5.90/hour).
	The system is set up for failure - there are many theories why - i.e., it’s in the government’s self interest to keep some people poor because it provides cheap labour and makes it attractive for other countries to bring their business here.
	We have devalued women so much in society that we’ve gotten away from relationships & community - have to build up the value of women (they do more community work, etc.).
	Until we remove the barriers, we’re not going to make much headway.

	Economic system - primary system of poverty.
	Racism - system used to oppress people.
	Access to systems - denied or delayed in benefits.
	Eligibility - red tape designed to give people the run around.
	Access to education, training & services.
	Housing.
	Homelessness - lack of shelters (not a priority).
	Hardship - benefits are often not enough to live on.
	Language - immigrants & refugees.
	Child apprehension - especially in the Aboriginal community - up to 60% of Aboriginal children are in care, growing in other communities - also immigrant women.
	The way social programs have been cut - devolution etc. - has affected access. It’s beginning to create a 2-tiered health care program - the transfer of power - 2 tiered mental health program.
	The number of women over 65 who live in poverty is double that of men.
	Kids in care are seen as a commodity to foster parents - they are making money off the children.
	If the 250 wealthiest gave up 3% of their assets they could wipe out poverty globally - we’re fighting corporations’ greed which is fueled by stockholders’ greed.
	Globalization, human rights issues, the feminization of poverty - we need to look at what’s happening internationally & who is pushing the agenda. We need to critique globalization.
	We need to stand together on a more united front & see what all the issues are before we can really find solutions.

	Need to put our issues on an international front.
	Power differences among people need to be acknowledged.
	We need solidarity, but also need to acknowledge differences - using alliances/caucuses to help build power.

We need our stories to be heard in our own voices but we also need "professionals" with more clout to help us be heard.

	Emphasis on partnerships & teams.
	The success of a company comes down to it’s people.
	The UPS way is "we not me" - partnerships.
	Diversity - enables a company to tap into resources to be competitive; creates highly effective teams and opens markets; creates real business results.
	Experiences - Target: UPS workforce, market (clients) & customers.
	Diversity is a fundamental requirement of the business & culture.
	Have to attract, retain, and promote a large number of people to remain successful.
	1997 - creation of the Diversity Steering Council to model diversity corporate wide. Goal - to achieve superlative results. Achieving our goal requires collaboration.
	Partnership with Texas Human Rights Commission - there was a backlog of complaints - partnership created an expedited way to deal with complaints. The speedy resolution allows the employer to maintain the reputation as a good employer and allows employees to have confidence.
	Prevention - proactive program where employees and managers were trained so they would fully understand the regulations/requirements.

Mediation Process (EDR):

	Open door policy.
	Facilitation - open discussion between all employees and managers.
	Optional peer review.
	Mediation.
	Optional arbitration.
	Process helped to get a speedy resolution to disputes.
	Only 5 cases have reached arbitration (most of the 100 something cases were resolved at the facilitation stage).
	Reduced the number of cases opened.
	Proactive ways of dealing with employee disputes helps to avoid disputes and find solutions in a better way.
	UPS held diversity roundtables on key topics - managers need to learn how to manage a diverse workforce.
	View diversity through a community internship program - partnership with a social service agency - each manager spends 1 month interning with a social service agency (to use their business knowledge to deliver something other than packages). Gives them a broader understanding of life & they are better able to deal with a diverse workforce & workplace.

	Diversity is not a problem to be dealt with but an opportunity to learn, grow & become a better business.
	UPS is the 4th largest employer in the US.
	Measurement - each person has their achievements measured objectively.
	They have a culture of mentoring & career development - promotion & succession. The Vice president & CEO both worked through the entire company to get where they are.
	Supplier Diversity Program - diversity in partners - $70 million of contracts last year went to minority and women owned businesses. Target of 20% participation. Contracts are awarded to these businesses because they are best for the business.
	Customer diversity - are in the early stages of looking at this.
	The foundation of diversity - partnerships & trust - you need the spirit of integrity & the intent of purpose for the partnership to work.

It all comes down to people.

	How do we know that UPS is succeeding? Diversity is evolving & we know we’re not perfect but we’ll keep working.
	Representation keeps going up - more women and minority managers.
	UPS is frequently contacted by other companies to serve as a benchmark.
	UPS employee relations index - detailed gauge of professional relationships & the manager through a survey - the results are broken down to as few as 10 people - gives managers a finely tuned idea of how their employees feel about their managing. The results are also linked to the managers’ performance review.

	Human rights language has led before legislative language - i.e., parental leave, equal pay for work of equal value, adoption leave, etc. written into collective agreements before legislation.
	The importance of the Human Rights Commission to ensure that rights bargained for are available to others who aren’t able to get collective bargaining.
	Right to refuse - the right for an employee who is facing harassment to leave the environment - collective agreement - important for human rights.
	Recognize that employees are very negatively affected by harassment (CUPE - Toronto Hydro).
	Need to recognize that human rights need to be promoted every day.
	Acknowledge that the association could do more to promote human rights to the employer.
	Recognize that education needs to play an integral role so that employees understand what these rights mean and how to exercise them.
	Recognize that union culture has changed - more women, visible minorities, aboriginal people & people with disabilities, gays & lesbians, etc. who are demanding that their interests be met.
	Needed education of the leadership on the diversity of membership.
	Simply having the right to complain to the Human Rights Commission isn’t enough - it probably arises in the workplace & should be resolved there.
	Human Rights Act Review - CLC was involved in that - recommended that every workplace should have a joint workplace human rights committee so it’s compulsory that the union and employer join together to look at these issues.
	Part II - violence in the workplace - union and employer must work together to provide protection - Bill C-12 & regulations on violence.
	Recommended that social condition be included as a prohibited ground.
	Recommended that systemic discrimination be dealt with.
	Recommended the development of an expedited process to deal with people who have had their human rights violated.
	There have been setbacks to human rights even though we do have a lot of protection (i.e., Harris government in Ontario) but think the continued vigilance of human rights activists will ensure that we rebound from the setbacks & move forward.
	CLC has created a number of working groups to allow people a space for discussion, to push forward & push the CLC to keep moving forward with human rights issues.
	The minute we stop fighting we lose momentum - human rights is evolving & is not stagnant so we need to keep moving.
	A universal declaration means nothing to a person who is a prisoner and has been raped or abused.
	Working groups have helped (i.e., gay/lesbian/bi - never had it easy - had a conference - call for visibility campaign so they are seen & their rights are taken care of - opened space for them - resolution passed & by November there will be gay/lesbian/bi representation on the executive).
	Aboriginal working group - important role with many activists - have to work with Aboriginal people to work on eradicating discrimination.
	People with disabilities - this year there will be the 1st conference on disability issues.
	Women are still important.
	Immigration - divisive issue in this country’s labour movement - need to do a lot of work to help foster an understanding.
	Education - backlash often happens in our own movement as well as outside - so we need to ensure education.

Chair, Alaska Mental Health Trust

	10 years ago - Alaska state legislation took all the lands given to people with disabilities so that they could have services. That money was never given to them.
	5 years ago set up the Alaska Mental Health Trust to ensure this wouldn’t happen.
	Foundations are not usually involved in public policy - Alaska thinks they can & should be.
	By influencing state & local government, foundations can stop making charitable solutions to public problems.
	Policy makers should be interested in foundations - government has limits, foundation funds can move more quickly.
	Mental Health Trust is a public corporation of the state of Alaska established in 1994 as the result of a law suit.
	Trust beneficiaries: people with mental illness & other disabilities, people with psychosis, people with Alzheimer’s, etc.
	Budget of $104 million.

Partner roles:

	Vision of change - expressed by consumers.
	Families and advocates through advisory boards.
	Expertise - state agencies.