(OTTAWA) A Federal Court judge has dismissed an attempt by a Uyghur group to sue the Liberal government for its failure to respond to a possible genocide in China.
The judge said courts can only determine whether the government is following existing laws and policies, not delve into global agreements.
The Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP) asked the Federal Court to find that Ottawa violated the UN Genocide Convention by ignoring events in China.
Two years ago, the House of Commons voted to declare China’s treatment of its minority Uyghur population as genocide, but the cabinet abstained and the Liberals said such a move requires further investigation. international.
In a decision released last Thursday, Judge Alan Diner said it is “plain and obvious” that his court cannot direct Ottawa’s foreign policy and can only rule on specific federal agencies.
The judge also denied a request to stay the motion so the group could cite specific federal policies, saying there was no concrete decision from Ottawa on which the group could base its case.