Beyond “crimes of insolidarity”: Considerations for a transition based on economic and social rights

Event
July 21, 2022

Big Thinking at Congress 2022

Beyond “crimes of insolidarity”: Considerations for a transition based on economic and social rights

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the interrelationship between civil and political rights, and economic and social rights (ESRs). As we have seen, the widespread attacks on the right to health care that have persisted with total impunity for the past thirty years in Quebec have directly affected the enjoyment of the population’s freedoms and right to security (lockdowns, curfews, scaling back). We have also seen that systemic infringements on the right to an adequate standard of living have made the population more vulnerable, while increasing the risks of transmission of the virus.

In this Big Thinking lecture, Christine Vézina, associate professor at Université Laval’s Faculty of Law, contends that any transition to a post-COVID-19 world must be based on economic and social rights. She argues that these violations of human rights result from deliberate choices made by governments and reflect a true “crime of insolidarity” that makes society vulnerable. What are these rights? What is their status in Canadian and Quebec law? What are the barriers to their full enjoyment? And how can they restore the universalist value of solidarity? These questions will help us reflect on the scope of ESRs to build a transition to a “post-insolidarity” world.

 

Text reads: Congress in Conversation. Headshot of Nehal El-Hadi and Christopher Dietzel. Text reads: Part I with Christopher Dietzel. Text reads: Part I with Christopher Dietzel.
Podcast

Congress in Conversation - Part I with Christopher Dietzel

← Big Thinking Podcast homepage​​ Next episode → Introduction | About the guest | Christopher Dietzel's Research at Congress | Transcript | Follow us Introduction Welcome to Congress in Conversation, a special series presented by the Big Thinking...

Big Thinking Podcast. Headshot of Crystal Fraser and Gabriel Miller. Title reads: Reconciliation as an everyday practice.
Podcast

Reconciliation as an everyday practice

← Big Thinking Podcast homepage​​ Next episode → Description | About the guest | Transcript | Follow us Description In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its First Report which documented the experiences of more than 6,000...

Big Thinking Logo. Episode 6. Headshot of Marie-Laurence Raby and Annie Pilote
Podcast

Abortion in Canada: how secure is our right?

← Big Thinking Podcast homepage​​ Season 3 → Description | About the guest | Transcript | Follow us Description With the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court last year and recent bans on abortion procedures south of the border, it is...