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Montreal — The UN Human Rights Committee said in a report on Thursday the Canadian government is responsible for many inequalities affecting indigenous people in the country and urged it to do more to support natives.

The report comes after two of the country’s opposition parties have pledged to implement the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which the current government is criticised for not doing. But the UN body that tracks civil and political rights pointed out Canada still has a lot of work to do for its indigenous people.

The commission asked Canada to urgently act to prevent discrimination against indigenous women and children, and made note of the disappearances and killings of women in indigenous communities.

The country needs to do more to address the abuse in detention of indigenous populations, as well as provide essential health care services, the committee said.

Canada and three other countries — Australia, the United States and New Zealand — were the only nations to vote against the UN indigenous text in 2007. — AFP