The Albany Gazette - Canada Soccer defends record on Qatar human rights issues

Minky Worden, director of Global Initiatives for Human Rights Watch said this week that Canada Soccer had been "completely missing in action” on labour rights, women's rights and human rights issues in the Gulf nation.

Worden said that Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called for FIFA and the Qatari government to set aside no less than US$440 million dollars as a fund to compensate migrant workers.

In a statement, Canada Soccer did not address the issue of the compensation fund but said that it had been heavily involved in discussions over rights issues.

"From the moment our Men’s National Team qualified for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Canada Soccer have been actively engaged on these issues," read the statement.

"We met with the Canadian Embassy in Doha, Qatar in April, July and in September of this year, focusing on cultural awareness, local education, and event preparation. At every meeting, discussions also included the latest updates on human rights and matters of inclusivity in Qatar.

"In recent months, we have also met and were provided presentations by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Amnesty International where good discussions and updates were shared from both organisations," the statement added.

FIFA awarded the World Cup to an Arab country for the first time after a contentious bidding process in 2010. Qatar has since faced constant scrutiny over its treatment of foreign workers as well as LGBTQ and women's rights.

The Canadian federation said it had made the "conscious decision" to partner with vendors in Qatar "whose shared values and principles are aligned with our shared Canadian values."

Qatar has said they have made a number of reforms in recent years, particularly in the area of rights for migrant workers and Canada Soccer said they could prove to be effective.

"Through our ongoing dialogue in recent months, it is our understanding that Qatar’s legal reforms, if fully implemented, have the potential to have a real impact and further improve protections for workers’ rights across the country.

"We encourage all partners to continue their efforts to implement recent labour reforms and continue to address and resolve past labour abuses."

Canada will be playing in their first World Cup finals since 1986 and the federation said they would represent their country's values.

"Canada enjoys a global reputation as a defender of human and LGBTQ2S rights, anchored on a record that is seen as one of the leaders globally.

"Canada Soccer will continue to uphold that reputation, build on what we have already started, and like so many other sporting bodies internationally, continue to ensure our players and fans are safe, included, celebrated and treated equitably."

(L.Kaufmann--BBZ)