According to a Feb. 27 news release, 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.”
The release notes residents had “called for improvements,” and that this is the first time the province “has undertaken any significant updates” to how the commission operates in more than a decade.
Come spring, the government will begin working on the upgrade with commission staff, commissioners and the community.
“Nova Scotians have told us that the way human rights issues and complaints are handled needs to improve,” said Justice Minister and Attorney General Becky Druhan in a statement.
Becky Druhan, Nova Scotia Minister of Justice and Attorney General
When government officials were asked for additional details on the upgrade, Druhan responded with further comment, saying the next step will be to meet with commission officials and residents.
“This collaboration will guide how the work will be done and, ultimately, the improvements that will be made. We will share more details including opportunities for engagement when they are available,” said Druhan in an email.
Commission Director and CEO Joseph Fraser said in his own statement that they had heard concerns from the public about “timelines and access to justice,” and that he and the commission “share these concerns.”
“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,” said Fraser.
In a separate statement, the commission acknowledges that there had been “calls for improvement,” and that the “human rights landscape … has never been more complex.”
It states that it remains “deeply committed to improving its service delivery to Nova Scotians.”
The statement briefly notes the struggles Black Nova Scotians have had in protecting their human rights, and the role the commission has played in that fight. It also talks about the need to “raise awareness and understanding of human rights,” noting the landmark Marshall Inquiry.
Donald Marshall, an Indigenous man, was convicted of murder in 1971, spent 11 years in prison, but then acquitted in 1983. (Another man was eventually convicted of the murder.)
A Royal Commission report exonerated Marshall and found systemic racism had played a role in his wrongful imprisonment.
Marshall died in 2009.
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