Political Affiliation Complaint Settled

A human rights complaint on the grounds of political affiliation was settled recently prior to a board of inquiry hearing the case.

Donald Rochford of Dartmouth had alleged that although he placed first in a competition for the province's chief of protocol position, he was not offered the job in December 1994 because of political affiliation. His complaint was filed against the Office of the Premier and the Nova Scotia Department of Human Resources, and a board of inquiry was appointed last summer.

A settlement was approved by the outgoing commissioners at a recent meeting. The outgoing commission met for the last time today. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission is an independent government agency charged with administering the province's Human Rights Act. A board of inquiry is the final public stage in the human rights complaint process.