Genocide Prevention Group (Canada)
Encyclopedia
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and other Crimes Against Humanity (the Genocide Prevention Group) is an informal group of Parliamentarians composed of members from all parties in the Canadian House of Commons
and the Canadian Senate
with an interest in the prevention of genocide
and similar crimes against humanity.
as its founder. It was inspired by the success of a similar parliamentary group in the United Kingdom and grew out of the Save Darfur Coalition initiated in 2006.
Paul Dewar
and the vice-chairs are as follows: Patrick Brown
, MP (Conservative); Johanne Deschamps
, MP (Bloc Québécois); Megan Leslie
, MP (NDP); and Borys Wrzesnewskyj
, MP (Liberal). The former chair and ex-officio member is the Honourable Roméo Dallaire
, Senator.
in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
, the mass atrocities in Darfur
, Sudan
, the prosecution of minority groups and political opposition in Sri Lanka
and Iran
, post-genocide justice in Rwanda
and Cambodia
, and genocide denial
.
The group has recently been invoved with the W2I
Project run by the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies http://migs.concordia.ca.
.
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
and the Canadian Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
with an interest in the prevention of genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
and similar crimes against humanity.
Origins
The group was founded in 2006 by a group of parliamentarians with Senator Roméo DallaireRoméo Dallaire
Lieutenant-General Roméo Antonius Dallaire, is a Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general...
as its founder. It was inspired by the success of a similar parliamentary group in the United Kingdom and grew out of the Save Darfur Coalition initiated in 2006.
Mandate
The mandate of the Genocide Prevention Group is to:- Ensure that the government of CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
galvanizes to prevent and protect civilian populations from genocide, crimes against humanity, and the incitement to such crimes in accordance with the principles of “The Responsibility to ProtectResponsibility to protectThe responsibility to protect is a norm or set of principles based on the idea that sovereignty is not a privilege, but a responsibility. RtoP focuses on preventing and halting four crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, which it places under the generic...
(R2P)” - Increase the flow of information and analysis to parliamentariansMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
about genocide and other crimes against humanity; - Promote understanding of the importance of long-term approaches to genocide prevention; and
- Engage in communication and collaboration with like-minded bodies in civil society and other Parliaments in order to:
-
-
- Exchange information about strategies for the prevention of genocide and other crimes against humanity;
- Work in conjunction with the United Nations Special Advisor for the Prevention of Genocide, the International Criminal Court, and other organizations working in the field of Genocide prevention and post conflict justice; and
- create international channels for the timely exchange of information regarding emerging crises that have a potentially genocidal component.
-
Members
Membership in the Genocide Prevention Group is open to all Parliamentarians. There are currently about 53 official members of the Genocide Prevention Group, with some sixty parliamentarians who participate in events hosted by the Genocide Prevention Group.Executive
The Executive is composed of a Chair, four Vice-Chairs, one from each of the parties represented at Parliament, and an ex-officio member. The Group is currently chaired by Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Paul Dewar
Paul Dewar
Paul W. Dewar is a Canadian politician currently serving as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Ottawa Centre.Dewar is a member of the New Democratic Party and was first elected to the House of Commons in the 2006 federal election...
and the vice-chairs are as follows: Patrick Brown
Patrick Brown
Patrick Brown may refer to:* Patrick Brown , journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation* Patrick Brown , Canadian politician* Patrick "Sleepy" Brown, American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer* Patrick O...
, MP (Conservative); Johanne Deschamps
Johanne Deschamps
Johanne Deschamps is a Canadian politician. She served as a councillor in Val-Barrette, Quebec from 1994 to 2004 and was Commissioner of the school board in Pierre-Neveu, Quebec from 1998 to 2004. After that, she was elected as a Bloc Québécois member of the Canadian House of Commons in the...
, MP (Bloc Québécois); Megan Leslie
Megan Leslie
Megan Leslie is a Canadian politician, who has been the federal Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Halifax since the 2008 Canadian federal election. She is a member of the New Democratic Party and serves as the NDP critic for the environment...
, MP (NDP); and Borys Wrzesnewskyj
Borys Wrzesnewskyj
Borys Wrzesnewskyj is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Etobicoke Centre in the Canadian House of Commons in the 38th, 39th and 40th Parliaments. He is a member of the Liberal Party.-Background:...
, MP (Liberal). The former chair and ex-officio member is the Honourable Roméo Dallaire
Roméo Dallaire
Lieutenant-General Roméo Antonius Dallaire, is a Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general...
, Senator.
Current areas of concern
The Genocide Prevention Group is currently monitoring the prevalence of sexual violenceSexual violence
Sexual violence occurs throughout the world, although in most countries there has been little research conducted on the problem. Due to the private nature of sexual violence, estimating the extent of the problem is difficult...
in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, the mass atrocities in Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, the prosecution of minority groups and political opposition in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, post-genocide justice in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, and genocide denial
Genocide denial
Genocide denial occurs when an act of genocide is met with attempts to deny the occurrence and minimize the scale or death toll. The most well-known type is Holocaust denial, but its definition can extend to any genocide that has been minimized or met with excessive skepticism.Where there is near...
.
The group has recently been invoved with the W2I
W2I
The Will to Intervene Project is a research initiative created by Lieut. General Roméo Dallaire, Senior Fellow at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies , and Dr. Frank Chalk, MIGS Director that aims to operationalize the principles of the Responsibility to Protect within...
Project run by the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies http://migs.concordia.ca.
Funding
Due to the unofficial nature of the Genocide Prevention Group, the group does not receive Parliamentary funding. It is funded by the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies and the Genocide Prevention Group's membership fees..