Province Announces Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission to be Modernized

The government plans to modernize the way the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission protects the rights of Nova Scotians and administers the province’s human rights dispute resolution process.

Nova Scotians have called for improvements, and this marks the first time the Province has undertaken any significant updates related to the commission in more than a decade.

“Nova Scotians have told us that the way human rights issues and complaints are handled needs to improve,” said Becky Druhan, Attorney General and Minister of Justice. “Our goal is to create a more accessible, inclusive and responsive system that better reflects the diverse needs and experiences of all individuals in the province.”

The work will start this spring in partnership with Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission staff, commissioners and the community.

The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission was created by provincial statute in 1967. Its mandate includes providing a human rights dispute resolution process to resolve allegations of discrimination both on an individual and systemic level and eliminating barriers and preventing discrimination through education, training, public engagement and policy development.

Quick Facts:

• the last change to the Human Rights Act was made in 2016 related to Section 21, affirming the act as binding the Crown

Quotes:

“We welcome government’s announcement of reforms to strengthen the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. My team and I look forward to working closely with government to build a stronger, more responsive commission, ensuring we uphold the principles of justice, equity and inclusion for everyone in our province.”
— Joseph Fraser, CEO, Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission

Additional Resources:

Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission website: https://humanrights.novascotia.ca/