VZCZCXRO2070
OO RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0432 1562006
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 052006Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9511
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1331
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0556

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000432 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM UN CA
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO CANADA ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AT THE 
UNHRC 
 
REF: A. STATE 58034 
     ¶B. SICADE/BELLARD EMAIL 6/5/09 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  PolMinCouns on June 5 delivered ref a demarche to 
Assistant to the Cabinet for Foreign and Defence Policy 
Gordon Venner and Director of Operations for the Foreign and 
Defence Policy Secretariat at the Privy Council Office 
Matthew Levin, and strongly urged that Canada defer 
introduction of the freedom of expression resolution while 
our two governments worked together to ensure introduction of 
consensus resolution in September.  Venner said that Canada's 
main concern was that another country would during the 
remainder of the current session introduce another, unhelpful 
resolution.  He said that, if there is indeed confidence that 
we could work to prevent this outcome, Canada would have no 
problem in not introducing the resolution at this time.  He 
said that he well recalled the circumstances that led Canada 
to withdraw its co-sponsorship in 2008, and that Canada 
definitely did not want a re-play of that scenario this year. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Separately, PolMinCouns shared ref a demarche with 
Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon's Policy Advisor Kyle Vis. 
Vis expressed satisfaction at the apparent resolution of this 
issue in Geneva (ref b), and promised to be additionally 
helpful as needed on this issue in the future. 
 
Visit Canada,s North American partnership community at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
 
BREESE