Table of Contents

Commissioner’s Message

Advancing Human Rights and Freedoms

Highlights for 2006

The Human Rights Environment: A Snapshot

Our Mandate
Portrait of Human Rights Complaints
Portrait of the Four Designated Groups in the Canadian Workplace

Resolving Disputes

A Range of Tools
Effectiveness of the Business Model
Public Interest Litigation

Preventing Discrimination

Prevention Work with Employers
Employment Equity Compliance Program
Public Information

Expanding Knowledge

Policy Development and Outreach
National Aboriginal Program
Research and Publications

Sound Management

A Healthy Workplace
Stewardship
Performance Measurement

Organization Chart

Members of the Commission

Commissioner’s Message

It has been said that the only constant is change, and this has certainly been the case for the Canadian Human Rights Commission over the past few years. One of the obvious changes in 2006 was in the senior management ranks. I was very pleased to join the Commission as full-time Commissioner in June, following the retirement of Mary Gusella. The Commission also saw the arrival of a new Secretary General in December. Hélène Goulet has taken on the position left by Robert Ward.

I would like to thank both Mary and Bob for their immense contributions to the Commission over the past four years. I would also like to thank staff and the Commissioners for helping to ensure a smooth transition and for their hard work throughout the year, the results of which are attested to in the pages that follow.

A particularly exciting development in 2006 was the establishment of the National Aboriginal Program. The program will help strengthen the Commission’s relations with Aboriginal groups and prepare for the expected repeal of section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act.

In this global age, the Commission also finds itself playing a role internationally. Over the course of the year, the Commission participated actively in strengthening human rights institutions abroad through the United Nations International Coordination Committee (ICC) of National Human Rights Institutions. The Commission chaired a subcommittee with a mandate to strengthen the ICC accreditation process and promote a new approach focused on rigour, transparency and independence. This strengthened process will be essential for accredited national institutions and the ICC to play a more active and credible role in international fora, such as the UN Human Rights Council.

Continued improvements to Commission operations and management processes have been ongoing throughout 2006. Effective triage methods and early mediation are resulting in cases being settled more quickly. The Commission is also working to strengthen respect for human rights within the federal jurisdiction by conducting human rights research and by working with employers to prevent discrimination, including conducting employment equity audits to promote reasonable progress in the representation of the four designated groups. In addition, the Commission is participating in the five-year review of the Employment Equity Act, and will be making a submission to Parliament in 2007.

A three-pronged service delivery model of dispute resolution, discrimination prevention and knowledge development is allowing the Commission to help resolve disputes quickly when they occur and, at the same time, work toward a healthier future marked by fewer disputes, improved representation of the four designated groups and greater respect for human rights.

David Langtry
Commissioner

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