Reports

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Chief Commissioner’s Message

Highlights

Moving Forward in Human Rights

Moving Forward in Employment Equity

Fostering Human Rights

Modern Management

Consultations

Biographies of Commissioners

Chief Commissioner’s Message

This annual report will outline further improvements the Commission has made by developing and implementing a new business model to deliver its mandates under the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Employment Equity Act more effectively and efficiently.

Changes such as putting more focus on mediation and streamlining the investigation process are having an impact on how effectively human rights complaints can be resolved. Two years after launching the reforms, the Commission is succeeding in reducing the caseload. The average age of the Commission’s caseload has declined from over 25 months in 2002 to about 12 months now, an improvement of 50%.

With more fine-tuning, the new model should help the Commission improve its performance even more.

In employment equity, the Commission has made some adjustments to make the most effective use of its resources. The Commission has continued to make progress in ensuring that employers covered by the Employment Equity Act comply with the Act. Since it began conducting compliance audits in 1997, the Commission has now put under audit a total of 282 employers, representing 77% of the workforce covered by the Act.

The Commission is moving into the next phase of its transformation. This involves moving more resources to the front end of the case management continuum by focussing on discrimination prevention and undertaking more studies and proactive initiatives to address key human rights issues. The knowledge gained through these efforts will guide the Commission’s work in broader ways.

In 2004, the Commission continued to take part in major human rights files. For example, the Commission appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada on the issue of same-sex marriage.

In all our work, good communication and cooperation with stakeholders are of vital importance. To this end, the Commission has carried out extensive consultations on key principles which should help to shape future reforms of the Canadian Human Rights Act and its administration.

Guided by modern management practices, the Commission is committed to making the best use of its resources to encourage the fullest possible application of human rights principles in all areas of federal jurisdiction.

Mary Gusella
Chief Commissioner

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