Part One introduces the international law of human rights, including the related areas of international labour, refugee, humanitarian, and criminal law. The history and sources of international human rights are described and the leading treaties discussed.
Part Two addresses the reception of international human rights norms in Canadian domestic law. After introducing Canadian reception law and the leading Canadian human rights laws, this part embarks on an ambitious survey of the means by which the Charter and other laws implement--or fail to implement--Canadian human rights obligations.
Part Three is devoted to the promotion and protection of human rights in Canadian, international, and (to a lesser extent) foreign law. This part emphasises remedial measures available to victims of human rights abuses, whether suffered in Canada or abroad.
Finally, the conclusion considers contemporary trends and issues in human rights law, including terrorism, humanitarian intervention, transitional justice, and domestic reception.
The book also includes a foreword by the incoming UN Human Rights Commissioner, the Hon. Madam Justice Louise Arbour, and useful appendices on Canadian human rights treaty obligations.