Commission Seeks Comment on Paper
The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission has released for comment a public discussion paper on its future directions.
The paper, titled Moving Forward With Human Rights in Nova Scotia, is the first phase of an organizational review of the commission’s operations. In December, the provincial government expanded the review to look at the Office of the Ombudsman. The review is being undertaken to improve the organization’s services to Nova Scotians.
"This paper is intended to generate public discussion," said Mayann Francis, executive director of the commission and interim ombudsman. "Because our services impact all Nova Scotians, we encourage everyone to take a critical look at the paper. We would welcome comments from the public in the interest of providing them with the best possible service."
The discussion paper is available in PDF format on the commission’s Web site at http://www.gov.ns.ca/humanrights . Copies will also be sent to public libraries around the province. The public is encouraged to comment on the paper by calling 1- 800-273-0041, or by e-mailing <[email protected].> Public meetings, led by Praxis Research Consultants this spring, will gather additional feedback on discussion questions posed in the paper.
The discussion paper, researched and written by Praxis, poses questions for public discussion and includes research on human rights commissions across Canada. The heart of the paper is an overview of comments from over 40 interviews with informed observers, including provincial government officials, academics, private-practice lawyers and key stakeholder groups, such as First Nations, persons with disabilities, African Nova Scotians and women.
Public commentary from the discussion paper will serve as necessary research for the review’s second phase. The focus of this phase will be the roles, responsibilities and structures of the human rights commission and the ombudsman’s office, and ways they could be more closely aligned with agencies, boards and commissions exercising similar mandates.
The second phase will also look at ways to implement the report of the Task Force on Government Services to the Nova Scotian Black Community. It will also consider a report by an interdepartmental committee that responded to the task force’s recommendations.
The commission is looking for a consultant to undertake the second phase. Recommendations for the provincial government to consider will be ready by the end of this year.