Ottawa, Ontario – Wednesday, December 10, marks the 60th anniversary of the day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted.  For Tilly O’Neill Gordon, MP for Miramichi, this is one of the most important events in our history.

Since its adoption in 1948, the Declaration has been, and continues to be, a source of inspiration for national and international efforts to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.

“The Declaration has helped to open the door to basic rights and quality of life for millions of men and women throughout the world,” Ms O'Neill Gordon said.

An essential element in human rights protection consists in making ordinary people more aware of their rights and how these can be defended.  Today the Declaration is available in 360 languages and is the most translated document in the world – proof of its universal applicability.

“It is vital that we celebrate this anniversary every year,” Ms. O'Neill Gordon said, “and that every person on the planet be made aware of their rights.”

60 years after its adoption, we pay tribute to the extraordinary vision of the Declaration’s drafters, and to the many champions of human rights throughout the world who have fought to make that vision a reality.

“I want to take this opportunity to highlight the exceptional contribution of the people who helped make the Declaration possible and who, every day, in Saint-Boniface and across the planet, are working to ensure that the motto Dignity and justice for us all is truly meaningful,” the MP for Miramichi concluded.

The Declaration belongs to each and every one of us.  Read it, learn it, promote it and claim it as your own.