ARCH letter to Ontario Government
By
Fax and Email
March 15, 2006
The Honourable Michael Bryant
Attorney General
Ministry of the Attorney General
720 Bay Street, 11th Floor
Toronto, ON M5G 2K1
Dear Attorney General:
Re: Reform of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and Tribunal
We
are writing to you about the Government's proposal for reform of Ontario's human
rights system. ARCH Disability Law Centre looks forward to changes to the human
rights process that will effectively address the problems that persons with
disabilities frequently experience with the current system.
It
is clear from the wide response to your announcement of intended reform that
there is great public interest in this initiative and also that there are many
different viewpoints that need to be canvassed. In light of this response, ARCH
concurs with the view of several disability organizations that the Government
should consult broadly with the public about its reform initiative before
tabling its proposed legislation
We
therefore request that a fully accessible consultation be undertaken, with
sufficient time to ensure that all accommodation requirements are met so that
people with disabilities can participate fully in this discussion. This
consultation should be province-wide, with special efforts made to reach persons
living in rural as well as urban communities.
We
also recommend that the consultation make a significant effort to reach many
people who ordinarily do not participate in public debates. There are segments
of the community who currently have virtually no access to human rights
enforcement, and who have not participated at all in this debate, even though
reform could have a positive impact on their situation. For example, there are
individuals who are institutionalized or incarcerated who currently are unaware
of the human rights that they have, how to go about enforcing them, or what
protections are available should they do so. Other highly marginalized people
also need to be brought into the discussion.
Finally, we recommend that this consultation be based on a detailed option
document setting out various potential structural changes. The various options
should be clearly set out so that these complex issues are understood by those
without in-depth experience of the human rights system. This would give the
public the opportunity to comment upon the different models of a comprehensive
framework from a more informed position.
Yours truly,
Lana Frado
Chair
Phyllis Gordon,
Executive Director
Cc
The Honourable Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario
Sandra
Pupatello, Ministry of Community & Social Services
Barbara Hall,
Chief Commissioner, Ontario Human Rights Commission
John Tory,
Leader of the Opposition
Howard
Hampton, Leader of the NDP
