For example, Canada helped to move the international community on the human rights situation in Rwanda in 1994 by calling a special meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights. We will also seek to enhance the role of the newly appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Our successful efforts to establish war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia sought to ensure that justice is done. These tribunals are now getting under way. We will persevere with our objective of establishing a permanent criminal court for the prosecution of crimes against humanity and similar offenses, an objective we now believe to be within reach.
Democracy promotes stability and prosperity.
Democratic tradition has been fundamental to Canadian values and underpins our prosperity. We believe that participatory government should be allowed to work for others as well. Firmly rooted, it will promote stability within and among countries. One of the ways we have supported democracy is by helping design, organize and monitor elections all over the globe through multilateral organizations such as the UN, the OAS, the Commonwealth and the Francophonie. The expertise of Elections Canada has been placed at the service of the international community and is now regarded as a unique asset around the world.