19 May 2025
An OPEN LETTER to PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY
Dear Prime Minister Carney,
Congratulations on your election as Prime Minister!
We are writing on behalf of ICHRP-Canada, a global chapter of a coalition of church groups, unions, community advocates, and individuals committed to defending human rights in the Philippines. We work with people on the front lines of conflict and displacement, and what we have witnessed makes this letter urgent.
For years, our coalition has stood alongside human rights defenders, faith leaders, farmers, and Indigenous communities in the Philippines. Many of our members have visited areas affected by militarization and spoken directly with families of those who have suffered human rights violations. What’s happening on the ground is not abstract policy, it is lived experience.
Under President Marcos Jr., counterinsurgency campaigns have continued to target those who speak out. The Anti-Terrorism Act has become a tool to silence human rights workers, journalists, environmental defenders, and Indigenous leaders. According to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 305 human rights defenders have been killed since its last review. In August 2024, James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria Jr., both respected community organizers, were forcibly disappeared in Tabaco City, Albay. Despite urgent appeals and protective court orders, their whereabouts remain unknown. Their cases are part of a disturbing pattern.
Despite these concerns, and our efforts to raise them with Canadian officials, Canada has moved forward in expanding its ties with the Marcos administration. This includes military cooperation, arms exports, and development assistance that lack clear and enforceable human rights safeguards. One major concern is the recently signed Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA). When we testified before the National Defence Committee on November 7, 2024, we made it clear: this kind of deal could put Canadian troops in situations that threaten local communities and suppress civil society. That’s not just a diplomatic risk, it directly contradicts the values Canada says it stands for.
The process behind this agreement has also raised serious concerns. In response to our Access to Information request, the government released a document that was entirely redacted. With the content blacked out, there is no meaningful way for the public to know what was negotiated or agreed to on their behalf. This kind of opacity weakens public trust and limits democratic oversight, especially in matters involving military cooperation with a government facing serious human rights allegations.
Canadians deserve better. At the very least, foreign policy decisions of this magnitude and with direct implications for Canada’s human rights commitments, must reflect the values of transparency and accountability, not bypass them.
We urge your government to:
- Publicly release and review the Canada–Philippines SOVFA, with full parliamentary oversight and civil society consultation;
- Conduct a full human rights impact assessment of Canada’s trade, aid, and security engagement with the Philippines;
- Publicly support international investigations, including the ICC’s probe into the Duterte administration’s alleged crimes against humanity;
- Expand support for Filipino human rights defenders, especially those targeted under the Anti-Terrorism Act, through mechanisms such as Canada’s Voices at Risk guidelines;
- Support a just and inclusive peace process in the Philippines, including initiatives that address the root causes of armed conflict and uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples and marginalized communities.
Canada’s reputation as a voice for peace and human rights has always mattered now more than ever. As authoritarianism rises globally, we face a choice: do we quietly align with governments that disregard human rights in the name of geopolitical or economic strategy? Or do we lead with courage and principle, consistent with Canada’s legacy? In the Philippines, this means choosing peace-building over militarization, and standing in real partnership with human rights defenders, those Canada’s own Voices at Risk guidelines commit to supporting, rather than remaining silent.
Canada’s reputation as a voice for peace and human rights has always mattered now more than ever. As authoritarianism rises globally, we face a choice: do we quietly align with governments that disregard human rights in the name of geopolitical or economic strategy? Or do we lead with courage and principle, consistent with Canada’s legacy? In the Philippines, this means choosing peace-building over militarization, and standing in real partnership with human rights defenders, those Canada’s own Voices at Risk guidelines commit to supporting, rather than remaining silent.
We would welcome the opportunity to meet with your office to discuss these concerns further and to share documentation from our Philippine partners and international monitors. For your reference, we have also attached our policy brief, Canada’s Human Rights Commitment Amid Expanding Military Ties with the Philippines
Thank you and looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Luthfi Mawarid
Chairperson
ICHRP Canada
Copy furnished:
The Honourable Anita Anand
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Hon. David J. McGuintyMinister of National Defense
Hon. Steven MacKinnonLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Ambassador David HartmanCanadian Ambassador to the Philippines