Statement made on 06 October 2009 by Senator Roméo Dallaire
Hon. Roméo Antonius Dallaire:
Honourable senators, 15 years ago the United Nations created an international criminal tribunal to try those responsible for the Rwandan genocide. Since then, many people have been brought before the court. The purpose of the tribunal was to make an example of governments and unstructured nongovernmental groups that commit massive human rights abuses, thereby reducing their impunity.
The goal was not only to pick up the pieces and reduce impunity, but also to prevent circumstances from arising in which the chaos affecting humanitarian efforts defies the human imagination.
Last week, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity held a forum to support a report that studied how we can prevent catastrophic failures of humanity. The report, entitled "Mobilizing the World to Intervene: Leadership and Action to Prevent Mass Atrocities," was prepared by the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies. The report looked at the recommendations in regard to this country — a leading middle power — and its ability to involve itself in prevention. The aim, ultimately, is to operationalize the concept that Canada created the Responsibility to Protect where massive abuses of human rights are perpetrated by a nation. We have the responsibility as a leading middle power, along with other nations, to intervene and to stop the abuses by all means and not purely by military means. The report has had some political support, but it is not fully recognized.
An interesting assessment was prepared by Tom Flanagan:
. . . they are not mushy-headed idealists obsessed with soft power. They know that in a brutal world, it is often necessary to use force. They want to marry the liberal notion of humanitarian intervention with the conservative conception of national interest.
I will add one last comment of support by parliamentarians who attended, and those who will continue to attend, the all-parliamentary group. In an email Senator Hugh Segal said:
This is an issue beyond partisanship. It is an opportunity to reflect together on what preparations are necessary so that governments can act with competence and workable instruments that can prevent tragedies and atrocities that kill thousands and blot all of humanity.
Senators, we have instruments to prevent the massive destruction of human beings. It is for us to take charge.