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The Commission’s annual report to Parliament of its employment equity activities, required under the Employment Equity Act, is provided in the Employment Equity section of this report. The Commission is also publishing, in April 2003, a more detailed report entitled 2002 Employment Equity: A Year-End Review. This report, which will be available on the Commission’s Web site, describes the audit process and the progress made by employers in complying with the Act.   

Copies of both reports can also be ordered by e-mail at publications@chrc-ccdp.ca.
This report is also available in .pdf format

© Minister of Public Works and Government Services 2003
Cat. No. HR1-2002
ISBN HR1-2002E-IN
0-662-33863-4

This publication is available in alternative formats.

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Highlights

The year 2002 will be remembered as a pivotal one for the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Several key issues were the focus of its work over the reporting period:

• Disability-related complaints rose by 85 % and made up a high percentage of the complaints received by the Commission.

• In 2002, the Commission issued 729 final decisions, 57 more than the previous year.

• In 2002, the Employment Equity Act was reviewed by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities and found to be working well and still needed. At the same time, an independent assessment of the Commission's role of verifying compliance with the Act found that it is generally effective in fulfilling its mandate.

• The Commission has noted that although most employers only comply with the Act when they are audited, most do so voluntarily, without the need for enforcement measures.

• Bill C-7 «the First Nations Governance Act» was tabled in 2002 and included an important proposal to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to repeal section 67 exempting all actions carried out under the Indian Act from scrutiny by the Commission.

• The Commission released a report on the human rights situation of the Innu of Labrador as well as a revised policy on drug and alcohol testing reflecting developments in the courts.

This Annual Report also reflects a period of transition and self-examination that led the Commission to embark on a process of change in the second half of 2002. The goal of these changes is to bring the Commission closer again to the remedial and preventive approaches to human rights that Parliament originally envisaged when it adopted the Canadian Human Rights Act almost 25 years ago.

The change process centers on three areas:

• Expanding the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). In 2002, parties agreed to mediation in 42% of the cases and 64% of them reached a settlement. In order to increase its use of ADR, the Commission set up a new, separate ADR Services Branch in early 2003.

• Address the current caseload and put in place a new business model to ensure the effective and efficient processing of complaints in the future.

• Building the Commission's capacity to use policy inquiries, special reports and other tools outside the complaint system as a way of better addressing systemic and pressing issues.

A desire to advance the public interest is at the heart of both the Commission's ongoing work and its current efforts to improve the way it operates. The Commission is adapting to new circumstances and opportunities through a thoughtful and comprehensive process of change.

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