Harper Gov't backs down from UN Treaty Against Torture

With the US government at the helm of an
economically and socially imploding nation the Prime Minister of Canada
continues to grovel at the bidding of the Bush regime. 

On this occasion it was because of references in a training manual to acts of
terrorism made as an interrogation method with arrested people alleged to be
terrorists.

The terminology used was that of the White House:
for example 'terrorists', and  'terrorism' are examples of designatiions before
any proof is gathered or charges laid in court of law against
any individuals.

Apparently, neither Israel nor America do
torture.

From a BBC news report it seems that the Canadian
Foreign Ministry produced a training document in
which it cited the US and Israel's competence in the application of torture to
gather 'intelligence": also included were China, Iran, and
Afghanistan.

Reuters News Agency reported:

"[Canadian] "Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier said
he regretted the embarrassment caused by the public disclosure of the manual,
which also classified some U.S. interrogation techniques as torture.

It contains a list that wrongly includes some
of our closest allies..." Source: Reuters. By David Ljunggren, Saturday January 19,
2008

However, this same list of countries if viewed from
a United Nations (UN) list reveals interesting reading, given
the evidence some kind of torture might have been practiced at the hands of all
nations listed.

I refer to the:

CONVENTION AGAINST
TORTURE
and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or
Punishment

"Signatures to the UN Convention against
Torture.

States which have Ratified the Convention Against
Torture and made declaration, under Article 22, that they agree to allow
individual complaints to the Committee against Torture. cf: Last edited
[online] on January 25, 1997"

This list includes, among many others, Canada, but
neither Israel nor the United States of America are included.

Further the Convention states in:

Article 2

1. Each State Party shall take effective
   legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of
   torture in any territory under its jurisdiction.
2. No exceptional circumstances whatsoever,
   whether a state of war or a threat or war, internal political instability or any
   other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.
   
3. An order from a superior officer or a public
   authority may not be invoked as a justification of
   torture.

If that is the case why is the Canadian government,
a signatory to the Convention, allowing itself to be bullied by
non-signatories?

 As for presenting a training manual for public
officials the government was acting, I think, in accordance within the terms of
the following Article of the Convention:

Article 10

1. Each State Party shall ensure that education
   and information regarding the prohibition against torture are fully included in
   the training of law enforcement personnel, civil or military, medical personnel,
   public officials and other persons who may be involved in the custody,
   interrogation or treatment of any individual subjected to any form of arrest,
   detention or imprisonment.

 States which have Signed but not yet Ratified the Convention Against Torture include the United States of
America.

States which have Ratified the Convention
Against Torture and made declaration, under Article 28, that they do not
recognize the competence of the Committee against Torture to investigate
allegations of widespread torture within their boundaries.Source here:

Here, include
Israel.

Iran did not feature in any part of this edition of
the the Convention signatories.

In a final reference to the use of torture
sanctioned by the American government is the acknowledgment of a CIA team
member:

A leader of the CIA team that captured the
first major al Qaeda figure, Abu Zubaydah, says:

subjecting him to waterboarding was torture
but necessary. Source: ABC News