13 November 2024
We, the undersigned, strongly oppose the state visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. whose policies and actions sanction and have resulted to grave human rights abuses in the Philippines, including:
- The counter-insurgency campaign by Philippine forces under the Whole-of-Nation Approach of the Government of the Philippines result in the extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and red-tagging of human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society activists and the displacement of thousands of indigenous and rural communities.
- Findings by international bodies, including the International Peoples Tribunal, hold the Marcos Jr. administration responsible for grave violations of International Humanitarian Law.
- Canada’s defence cooperation with the Philippine Government enhances the resources and capacity of Philippine forces implicated in these abuses
- The proposed Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) would put Canadian troops on the ground, potentially involving them in counter-insurgency operations and making Canada complicit in the human rights violations.
In light of these grave concerns, we urge the Canadian government to take the following actions:
- Cancel all existing and pending agreements with the Marcos government, including the proposed SOVFA and the Memorandum of Understanding on Enhanced Defence Cooperation. Canada must cease any defence cooperation with the Philippines until it demonstrates clearly verifiable progress in ending human rights abuses, including repealing of counter-insurgency policies, such as the Anti-Terrorism Act, and the dissolution of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) which have been used to target activists and civil society organizations.
- Publicly support the resumption of peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines to address the socio-economic and political roots of the conflict.
- Conduct an independent audit of Canada’s support to the Philippine government ensuring that Canadian financial, programmatic and technical assistance are not contributing to human rights violations.
- Encourage ASEAN-led countries to de-escalate tensions and peacefully resolve the conflict in the South China Sea, including joint patrols by countries with claims in the region and assisting them in collectively filing a case against China in the international arbitral tribunal.
- Strengthen support and protection for human rights defenders and civil society organizations in the Philippines by upholding Canada’s Voices at Risk guidelines and safeguarding activists, journalists, and marginalized communities targeted by the Marcos administration.
- Ensure robust human rights benchmarks in Canada’s security, trade, and aid agreements with the Philippines and periodic reviews of the agreements to hold the Philippine government accountable to these standards.
We call on the Canadian government to prioritize human rights and diplomacy in its relationship with the Philippines. Canada must not be complicit in the ongoing human rights abuses under the Marcos administration.