Today on the Hill: Amnesty to Harper: don’t forget about human rights

OTTAWA – He may be a day late, but Alex Neve is hoping the prime minister gets a message from Amnesty International Canada as Stephen Harper travels around China.

Neve, who is Amnesty’s secretary general, will ask Harper today to advance a number of important recommendations for human rights reform in China.

Harper left for China yesterday, where he’ll attend the opening of the APEC Summit in Beijing before returning to Canada for Remembrance Day.

The prime minister’s office has already said Harper will raise human rights issues at every opportunity as he meets with government and business leaders in the Communist nation.

But rights advocates are worried that their concerns will take a back seat to the push by the Conservative government to improve business ties between China and Canada.

Here are some other developments expected today on and around Parliament Hill:

— Treasury Board President Tony Clement will unveil the government’s latest plan for making Ottawa more open and transparent in an announcement about Open Government 2.0;

— New Democrat MPs Matthew Kellway and Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet will unveil their party’s urban agenda and detail how the NDP plans to implement it. Assuming of course that the NDP wins power in the next federal election;

— A news conference will be held to talk about the legal challenges faced by Tanzanian villagers as they pursue a legal fight against Barrick Gold over violence at the North Mara mine;

— And the Canadian War Museum will hold a media preview of their latest exhibition, entitled “Fighting in Flanders. Gas. Mud. Memory.”

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