Canada elected to new UN Human Rights Council

Canada was among 47 countries elected on Tuesdayto the United Nations'new Human Rights Council, a body that still includes nations withpoor human rights records.

Cuba, China, Pakistan, Russia and Saudi Arabia, five countriesconsidered to besome of the worst abusers by the group Human Rights Watch, all made it on to the new council.

The council replaces the Human Rights Commission. Critics complained thatthe commissionoften included notorious rights abusers among its members and they often protected each other from condemnation.

Tougher rules now govern how countries can win a seat on the new body. Members, for example,must be elected by an absolute majority of the 191 UN members.

Despite the election of some countries with poor records, Kenneth Roth, president of Human Rights Watch, said the new council is a step in the right direction.

"The good news is that two of the least-deserving governments were not elected. Both Venezuela and Iran failed to make the cut, " Roth said.

"And I think that the important step is that we've made real progress. The spoiler governments, the governments who have a history of trying to undermine the protection of human rights through their membership on the old commission, are now a significantly reduced minority."

The U.S did not seek a seat on the council and was one of four countries that voted against its creation, saying the new rules weren't tough enough to prevent abusers from becoming members.