In looking deeply into Canadian diplomacy, Andrew S. Thompson shines a light on the inconsistencies of Canadian policy-makers as they struggled to advance human rights globally, while being reluctant to submit Canadian practice to international scrutiny. Nonetheless, he finds that Canada has usually been on the side of the angels, a happier place than the alternative. -- Paul Heinbecker, former Canadian ambassador, permanent representative to the UN, and distinguished fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation This is a well-researched and fair-minded account of how Canada contributed to and interfered with the operations of the UNCHR at different points in its evolution. In it, Canada is revealed to be a state like most others: sometimes forward thinking and sometimes retrogressive. It is a balanced portrayal that neither glorifies Canada's role nor seeks to "deconstruct" it in a superficially critical way. -- Stephen J. Toope, former president and vice-chancellor of UBC and director of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto Andrew S. Thompson has written a fascinating account of the evolving role Canada has played in the United Nations human rights system since the 1940s. Deeply researched and written with aplomb, On the Side of the Angels will have considerable impact. -- William Schabas, OC, professor of international law, Middlesex University London

When it comes to upholding human rights both at home and abroad, many Canadians would like to believe that we have always been “on the side of the angels.” This book tells the story of Canada’s contributions – both good and bad – to the development and advancement of international human rights law at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) from 1946 to 2006.

The CHR gave Canada the opportunity to forge a reputation as a human rights leader. This book scrutinizes this reputation by examining Canada’s involvement in a number of contentious human rights issues – political, civil, racial, women’s, and Indigenous, among others. It finds that Canada’s record was mixed, its priorities motivated by a variety of considerations, both domestic and international. An in-depth historical overview of six decades of Canadian engagement within the UN human rights system, On The Side of the Angels offers new insights into the nuances, complexities, and contradictions of Canada’s human rights policies.

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Overall, Thompson charts the ups and downs—and eventual collapse—of the UNCHR. He does so from the vantage point of a middle power, whose officials were often frustrated by the inaction of the great powers and by the seeming overactivity of the smaller states of the Global South. In sum, On the Side of the Angels is a detailed and well-researched analysis that marks an important addition to the growing history of Canadian international human rights and the human rights revolution more generally.

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On the Side of the Angels makes an important contribution to the existing scholarship by situating Canada and Canadian history into the broader study of the development of global human rights, something that has been lacking.