Appointment Process for Adjudicative Boards Strengthened
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION--Appointment Process for Adjudicative Boards Strengthened
The government of Nova Scotia has introduced a new process to ensure that fully qualified applicants are appointed to the province's adjudicative boards. It is part of ongoing improvements to the appointment process for agencies, boards and commissions.
"The new process is similar to the one used for judges and for members of the Utility and Review Board," said Gordon Balser, Minister of the Public Service Commission. "It is designed to ensure that every member of each board is well qualified."
Adjudicative boards make decisions that affect a person's liberty, security or legal rights. Government has 28 adjudicative boards, ranging from the Regional Assessment Appeal Board to the Psychiatric Facilities Review Board.
Under the new system, eight advisory committees have been set up to screen potential members for these boards. The five-member committees are chaired by a human resources professional appointed by the public service commissioner, and include two other government employees and two members of the public, also selected in a competitive process. Each committee provides a list of three to six qualified board applicants to the minister.
Descriptions have been prepared for all adjudicative board positions. These descriptions detail the qualifications needed and the selection criteria to be used. Positions will be advertised to ensure fair notice is given to potential candidates. All documents will be available on the Executive Council Office Web site www.gov.ns.ca/exec_council/boards.asp .
Advisory committees are now in place and the committees will make appointments to each board as vacancies arise.
The new process is part of a January 2002 agreement with Archibald Kaiser, who lodged a human rights complaint in 1995 that he was discriminated against on the basis of political affiliation.
The province has applied the process to more than double the number of boards specified under the agreement with Mr. Kaiser. Other terms of the agreement have also been met, including: -- provision of $15,000 to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission for education on discrimination on the basis of political affiliation; and -- provision of $90,000 over three years for the commission to work with the Nova Scotia Disabled Persons Commission to promote education on mental health issues.
"We have fulfilled all the terms of the Kaiser settlement, as part of our ongoing improvements to the selection process for agencies, boards and commissions," said Mr. Balser. "The Nova Scotia government has one of the strongest selection processes for these appointments."
As part of its earlier efforts to improve the appointment process, the province established a system that allows a legislative committee to scrutinize appointments to agencies, boards and commissions. However, the new adjudicative board appointment process, being open and competitive, will be exempt from this review.