Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq is getting into a conflict with the Geneva Conventions about Canadian treatment of Taliban POWs in Afghanistan.
A story from The Canadian Press reported today that Taliban prisoners would be offered H1N1 vaccinations.
As reported by Bloomberg, Aglukkaq said the decision was "outrageous ... I'm disturbed by it."
However, as both the CP and Bloomberg reports make clear, Canada as a signatory to the Geneva Conventions, must respect Article 15 of the Third Geneva Convention:
The Power detaining prisoners of war shall be bound to provide free of charge for their maintenance and for the medical attention required by their state of health.
Bloomberg also quotes UBC law professor Michael Byers: "It's full equality of treatment for both sides with respect to provision of medical services, and that's exactly what is happening with the vaccine and what should happen."
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported today that detainees at Guantanamo were unlikely to get any of the 300 H1N1 vaccine doses now available at the base.
Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee.
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Van Isle
2 years ago
Sounds like a typical
Sounds like a typical politian of the day; never mind what agreements or contracts are made, break them if you don't like them.
Dan the socialist
2 years ago
The Harpercons do not care
The Harpercons do not care about human rights anyway. The US got rid of Bush, yet Canada elects their own Bush..
132ssway
2 years ago
Get serious here
Going beyond where treaties and law may lead us, supplying the vaccine to people whose interests lie in killing our soldiers, while most citizens in Canada simply can't get the vaccine, would seem unfair.
Unfair...
Points to the minister in speaking up...
And entreaties to others to broaden a bit...
Van Isle
2 years ago
I really don't understand
I really don't understand people who think that our treaties are just a one-way street. Let's say there were Canadian soldiers who were held captive by the Taliban; wouldn't we want them to be treated as outlined under the Geneva Convention too? I would take it for granted that article 15 would be included as well.