The UN is expected to overwhelmingly approve a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples later today. But Canada won't have any part in it. The federal government has announced it will vote against the Declaration Both Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl and Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier have criticized the document as  "fundamentally flawed and [lacking] clear, practical guidance for implementation." The U.S., Australia and New Zealand have each voiced similar concerns, most notably about the long-term implications of granting sweeping land and resource rights to Aboriginal communities.

But Canada's stand on the issue could hamper the government's efforts to deal with a growing backlog of land claims, as well as myriad other issues at home. First Nations' groups are predictably miffed at the Conservatives for denouncing the document, with Grand Chief Edward of the Asssembly of First Nations saying "it will be a very black day for the country." Still, the non-binding resolution is expected to pass thanks to widespread support across Latin America, Africa and Europe.

Meanwhile, Ottawa's bid to access customer files from internet and phone companies without first obtaining a court order is raising red flags among privacy groups. Telecommunications companies have been reluctant to release the information to law enforcement officials, a situation a document produced by Public Safety Canada and Industry Canada says "poses a problem in some contexts." But privacy advocates have denounced ongoing consultations on the matter as needlessly secretive and a spokesman for the privacy commissioner says the government hasn't been able to demonstrate the need for such disclosures.

According to the document, Ottawa is looking to provide law enforcement agencies with the ability to obtain customers' names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, IP addresses and cellphone data on demand rather than forcing them to go through the courts. The proposed changes effectively mirror the previous Liberal government's "lawful access" bill that died on the Commons floor when the last election was called. Along with compelling service providers to provide information to police upon request the "lawful acces" bill had also called on them to implement technologies to allow the government to intercept internet traffic.

Beginning next Monday, the Air India inquiry is expected to delve into the erasure of key evidence tapes by CSIS. The spy agency has defended the move as consistent with an internal policy from the time that called for tapes to be erased after the interviews had been transcribed. But in the case of the Air India tapes, the conversations weren't transcribed verbatim, raising serious issues about their accuracy.

A new report by the Calgary-based Canada West Foundation says the six biggest Western cities are increasingly plagued with a litany of social problems like drugs, homelessness and gang violence. The report claims the situation has left Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg facing issues of social fragmentation and threats to public safety, both of which are a drain on public resources.

In other news, Imperial Tobacco plans to market a type of smokeless tobacco (called snus) in Edmonton in spite of concerns over its safety; according to a poll by Strategic Counsel, 62 per cent of Canadians believe there's life on other planets; and the world's most polluted cities are in Russia, China and India, says a survey by a U.S.-based environmental group.