Commission Releases Consultation Reports

Two reports from recent consultations conducted by the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission (NSHRC) have been released.

The first report is on the NSHRC's mandate. It is titled Final Report on the Public Consultations of the Organizational Review of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, and is based on a discussion paper prepared for the first phase of the organizational review.

The commission also released the Final Report on Consultations with the African Nova Scotian Community, which examines government's services to that community.

The consultations for the second report were based on a 1996 task force report on government services to the black community, and on a March 2000 response report of an interdepartmental committee formed by the Department of Community Services.

Both reports are available in PDF format at http://gov.ns.ca/humanrights/ .

The reports were prepared by Dr. Fred Wien, professor at the Maritime School of Social Work, Dalhousie University; Dr. Viola Robinson, formerly a commissioner of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in Canada; and Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard, director of the Maritime School of Social Work. They conducted the consultations on behalf of Praxis Research and Consulting Inc.

The first phase of the review, which included creation of the discussion paper and public consultations, focused on the mandate of the NSHRC.

Upon the appointment of the executive director of the Human Rights Commission as interim ombudsman for the province in December 2000, the government also asked that the Office of the Ombudsman and agencies, boards and commissions with similar mandates be considered in the overall review.

At that time, the Task Force Report on Government Services to the African Nova Scotian Community and the Interdepartmental Committee were also requested to be included in the review.

The information gained from the consultations in Phase 1 has served as important research for Phase 2. The second phase, conducted by consultants Grant Thorton, will focus on the organizations' roles, responsibilities and structures, and ways they could be more closely aligned with agencies, boards and commissions exercising similar mandates.

The final report on the organizational review is expected to go to government this month. The government will be considering the review results this fall.