JASON SETNYK
Human Rights Day drew residents to the Cornwall Public Library for “Human Rights Through Different Lenses,” a panel discussion connecting local experiences to the principles set out in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The well-attended free event was organized by United for Human Rights Ontario’s Cornwall chapter with community partners, including the Cornwall Police Service, City of Cornwall, and the Social Development Council.
Moderator Farhana Meghji, equity, culture, and belonging specialist with the Cornwall Police Service and the City of Cornwall, said organizers wanted something “more engaging… more of a conversation,” building on an event held last year. She said the lineup was intentionally local, with speakers chosen to bring different professional and lived perspectives to the same questions. Panelists included Diversity Cornwall president Liz Quenville, Imam Yousef Vakily, Robert Coulombe of Clinique juridique Roy McMurtry Legal Clinic, and Abraham Francis.
Quenville said progress cannot be taken for granted, pointing to “a rollback” being felt “particularly when it comes to trans rights.” Her message is that trans and non-binary people are “equally deserving of respect and fair treatment and equal rights… as all of us are,” and said local support services like those at Diversity Cornwall matter because gaps remain.
Coulombe said access to justice often tracks with income, but Ontario’s network of community legal clinics exists to support people with limited means. He said the clinic helps with human-rights claims under provincial and federal codes, noting employment complaints, “particularly around disability,” as common. He also pointed to housing discrimination, including cases where tenants are screened out because they receive social assistance or have children, and said many people do not pursue complaints.
Nicole Crellin, director of United for Human Rights Canada, said the organization focuses on education about the Universal Declaration, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. “People know about human rights, but they kind of go, ‘Yeah… so what?'” she said.
Crellin said the aim is to show people “these are your human rights,” and that “you have 30 of them,” so they can better protect themselves and others.
Cornwall chapter director Eric G. E. Gaye said the discussion highlighted “the importance of human rights education” and encouraged residents to look at rights “through different lenses” and promote them locally.
Human-rights supporter Guy Peloquin said the Universal Declaration was a response to the devastation of the Second World War, arguing that understanding rights early can prevent harm and support peace. He described a recent presentation at a federal prison where an inmate told organizers he had not considered how his crimes could be viewed as human-rights violations.
The evening concluded with audience questions and a message repeated throughout the panel: human rights are not only a global issue, but something residents can learn, recognize, and defend at home.
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