Five of Canada’s leading civil society organizations have launched Vote for Rights, a non-partisan national campaign designed to put human rights at the centre of the 2025 federal election.
At the heart of the campaign is a new Human Rights Platform, listing nine priority areas helping the next federal government to live up to Canada’s domestic and international human rights obligations. The platform challenges all political parties and candidates to publicly endorse the campaign’s calls to action and commit to a rights-based vision for the country.
“This campaign is non-partisan by design — because human rights apply to everyone and cut across political affiliations,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section. “We’re calling on voters and candidates across the political spectrum to put justice, dignity, and equality first in this election.”
The Vote for Rights campaign is a collaboration between Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability, the David Suzuki Foundation, the National Right to Housing Network, and Project Ploughshares.
Together, these organizations urge federal candidates to take a stand on nine pressing human rights issues:
- Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination
- Use of the Notwithstanding Clause and Gender Rights
- Racial Justice
- Rights of Refugees and Asylum Seekers
- Corporate Accountability
- Climate Change, Human Rights, and Justice
- Housing as a Human Right
- Poverty and Inequality in Canada
- Canada’s Role in the International Arms Trade
With authoritarianism on the rise globally and rights protections at risk at home, Vote for Rights invites Canadians to send a clear message: human rights are not optional, and Canada’s leadership matters now more than ever.
To read the full platform and learn how to get involved, visit VoteForRights.ca.
Additional high-impact quotes:
“For too long, the federal government has allowed Canadian companies and importers to profit from human rights abuse and environmental destruction. The next government could change that. Canada could show global leadership on human rights by implementing binding rules on business to prevent and remedy harms. Canada cannot achieve human rights for all without corporate accountability.” —Georgina Alonso, Program Officer, Above Ground (a project of MakeWay), on behalf of the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability
“Everyone has the right to a healthy environment. Canada’s next government and every future government must reduce emissions and protect communities at the frontlines of the climate crisis. In the face of accelerating climate change, we call on all parties to uphold Canada’s international climate commitments, expand renewable energy, deprioritize fossil fuels, and advance environmental justice.” —Lisa Gue, National Policy Manager, David Suzuki Foundation
“Housing is a fundamental human right — and everyone deserves a safe, stable, and affordable place to live. But across Canada, far too many people are denied this fundamental right, as they get evicted, get priced out, or face systemic barriers that push them into homelessness or precarious housing. In 2019, Canada created the National Housing Strategy Act, which requires the federal government to create housing policy that is consistent with the human right to housing and genuinely ends the housing and homelessness crisis. This election is an opportunity for political leaders to step up and demonstrate their commitments to treat housing like the human right that it is.” —Michèle Biss, Executive Director, National Right to Housing Network
“Canada’s rhetoric on human rights rings increasingly hollow in light of its arms export practices. Canada continues to supply weapon systems to Israel — both directly and indirectly — even as Israel demonstrates blatant disregard for international humanitarian law throughout its campaign in Gaza, which has laid waste to the Gaza Strip and killed more than 50,000 Palestinians. Nearly half of Canada’s reported annual arms exports are sent to repressive regimes, most notably Saudi Arabia, a brutal autocracy that employed Canadian-made weapons throughout the war in Yemen. Canada must move toward fully realizing its legally binding obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty and firmly centre respect for human rights in its foreign policy.” —Kelsey Gallagher, Senior Researcher, Project Ploughshares
