Olivier De Schutter, UN’s stance on hunger in Canada draws ire

Olivier De Schutter, the United Nations' special rapporteur on the right to food, wrapped up his official 11-day investigation into food security in Canada concluding that our government is flouting its international human rights obligations by ignoring hunger within its own borders.

His suggestion that 800,000 Canadian households don't have the wherewithal to be sure they can put proper food on the table has caused a bit of a stir with members of both the right-leaning media and government, who have essentially told the rapporteur what he can do with his findings:

Brian Lilley, Political analyst (On the Sun News Network, Wednesday):

"Look, If we want socialist politicians we have plenty of our own.

But the one thing we don't need is to have a snooty little academic from the UN come to Canada, insult us, and then tell us to drop our self-ritous attitutdes. We don't need a failed bureaucrat from a failed organization like the UN coming into Canada and advocate for failed social policies that the voters here have already rejected.

...It's time for Canada to leave the United Nations."

Jason Kenney, Citizenship and Immigration Minister (In the House of Commons, Wednesday)

"Canada sends billions of dollars of food aid to developing countries around the world.

It would be our hope that the contributions we make to the UN are used to help starving people in developing countries not to give lectures to wealthy and developed countries like Canada. And I think this is a discredit to the United Nations."

John Ivison, Journalist (For the National Post, Wednesday):

"It is risible that Canada, ranked eighth on The Economist's Democracy Index, should be lectured on human rights by a representative of the UN council whose current membership includes Russia (#117), China (#141), Congo (#145), Cuba (#126) and Saudi Arabia (#161).

The United Nations should respect and protect the sovereignty of its members, not trample all over it."