The Subcommittee on International Human Rights met to examine the current situation for democracy and human rights defenders around the world. Witnesses appearing were Gabrielle Bardall, Leslie Campbell, Professor Miriam Cohen, Kevin Deveaux, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and Monika Le Roy.
Gabrielle Bardall argued that supporting resilient democracy internationally requires a shift from technical support to protecting people, power, and participation, as democratic erosion now involves manipulation of institutions and hybrid threats like gendered disinformation. She recommended Canada establish a special representative for democracy, develop a national action framework, and mobilize Canadian expertise through a network inspired by the Women, Peace and Security model, emphasizing that democracy support is a preventative security and economic policy.
Leslie Campbell, speaking after audio issues were resolved, highlighted that the U.S. cancellation of most democracy programs through DOGE has created a vacuum, as authoritarians continue to learn from each other while democratic networks have been weakened. He urged Canada to fill this opening by creating a rapid response capacity to support civil society when dictators fall unexpectedly, and to convene like-minded countries to pool resources rather than reinventing existing structures.
Professor Miriam Cohen outlined that human rights defenders globally face routine intimidation, attack, and wrongful conviction, fitting into a broader context of democratic backsliding. She recommended the international community prioritize fighting impunity for perpetrators of violence against defenders, guaranteeing freedom of association and access to funding for civil society, and ensuring consistent political support for democracy and human rights defenders at risk.
Kevin Deveaux argued that Canada must lead by building coalitions of middle powers, moving away from prescriptive ODA project cycles toward bespoke, collaborative solutions. He recommended investing in a rapid deployment system of external democratic governance and security experts to provide timely political analysis in crisis situations, which would give Canada a seat at the table and build soft power for new trading and security partnerships.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya described the ongoing repression in Belarus, with 950 political prisoners and daily detentions, and warned that the regime abuses Interpol and transnational repression to target opponents abroad. She asked Canada to keep sanctions strong, increase assistance for civil society and independent media, support the ICC case against Lukashenko for crimes against humanity, help Belarusians in Canada with asylum and documents, raise transnational repression at the UN, and form a parliamentary group for a democratic Belarus.
Monika Le Roy argued that democracy support is a Canadian national interest, as democratic partners offer rule of law and regulatory predictability essential for trade diversification, and that supporting political institutions like legislatures and parties is a direct investment in democratic durability. She recommended developing a public Canadian democracy support strategy that links political positions to programming, funding political actors with the same intent as civil society, and establishing predictable multi-year partnerships rather than episodic grants.
Procedural matters included a brief interruption due to audio issues affecting interpretation, which was resolved, and the meeting proceeded without further debate or votes.
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