Plan for Investigation and Resolution of Aboriginal Complaints

An action plan to make the process of resolving Human Rights complaints made by Aboriginal people in the province was released today, Oct. 11.

The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission unveiled its Plan for the Investigation and Resolution of Aboriginal Complaints at its 2007 Public Forum held in Membertou, Cape Breton.

"We are pleased with the report and are looking forward to receiving feedback from the public as we move forward," said Michael Noonan, acting director and CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. "The commission is committed to better serving the province's Aboriginal communities."

The plan was developed after feedback from Aboriginal people during the commission's organizational review in 2001 showed that there was a lack of knowledge and trust about the complaint process.

Fred Wien and Carla Moore of Dalhousie University and Tuma Young, CEO of Eskasoni First Nation, were hired to develop the plan to improve services to the Aboriginal community. They conducted extensive interviews with the Mi'kmaq communities and community leaders on and off reserve, other human rights commissions, staff members, and a number of other research initiatives, before compiling the report and action plan.

"Input from the communities was critical in the development of the plan," said Mr. Noonan. "We needed to first understand more clearly why complaints were not being brought to the commission in cases of discrimination and then see how the communities felt this should be addressed."

Further public comment on the report can be made on the commission's website where a discussion forum will be available until the end of November.

The commission will work to implement all of the proposed actions in the report including hiring Mi'kmaq or other Aboriginal staff members, increasing visibility of the commission in First Nations communities and among those living off-reserve, working with the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Made in Nova Scotia Process to ensure jurisdictional issues are clear and including a healing circle as a option for settling complaints.

The complete report and the discussion forum can be found on the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission website www.gov.ns.ca/humamnrights> .