It seems a challenge to imagine anyone whose views about Canada would be less valid than Olivier De Schutter. Mr De Schutter is the United Nations writer of reports (rapporteur) on food and human rights. He is part of the European apparatus of the UN and advises the European Parliament on its many saintly concerns. Recently, Mr. De Schutter (left) concluded that Canada is “smug” about its efforts to address the enduring issue of poverty in the aboriginal population. Beyond that, Mr. De Schutter didn’t have much to say. Just that we should be doing better and that we’re smug. The whole thing so upset the Health Minister, Leona Aglukkaq, that she told Mr. De Schutter where to get off. Unlike UN report writers, Ms Aglukkaq (right) is the real thing. She is an aboriginal who has practical work and like most Canadian politicians, Liberal and Conservative, has laboured at solving the intractable nature of poverty among some of the native peoples Mr De Schutter may well be a nice man to meet. Maybe when he has a day off he volunteers at the Paris Food Bank. But the verdict on his professional activity is that he’s hardly working.
