[JURIST] Canada must make "significant improvements" in its efforts to meet international human rights obligations, according to a new Amnesty International Canada report [text] critical of the Canadian government for reserving the right to deport people to countries where they may be tortured. The report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Committee [official website] in Geneva next week, where Canada is scheduled for a periodic review of its human rights policies. Amnesty says that Canada's human rights record has become seriously tarnished [press release] by the erosion of rights in the face of security concerns and is calling for Canada to comply with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [text]. The Canadian government says it should be allowed to make deportations to countries where there is a possibility of torture if the case involves a serious crime or national security risk. A 2002 Canadian Supreme Court ruling [text] allows such deportations in "exceptional circumstances" but does not further outline their permissibility. The Globe and Mail has more.