SAMPLE LETTER TO A MEMBER OF THE ONTARIO LEGISLATURE
Dear _,
I oppose the Ontario
Government’s proposed changes to the Ontario Human Rights Code announced on
February 20, 2006.
Improvements are needed in how
human rights violations are dealt with in Ontario, but dismantling the Human
Rights Commission and moving to the proposed ‘direct access’ model will only
make things worse.
The proposed plan would force
victims of discrimination to investigate their own human rights case and hire
their own lawyer to present their case to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.
Right now, that is the job of the Ontario Human Rights Commission. That’s where
it should stay. It shouldn’t be off-loaded onto vulnerable people.
The proposed plan means a lot
of money for lawyers, but most Ontarians won’t be able to afford to protect
their human rights. Rather than fixing the problems that exist, this plan will
build bigger barriers to protecting our human rights.
The Government should not take
away or reduce the right to a public investigation of proper complaints of
discrimination. Legal Aid is not a viable solution for legal representation
because most people won’t qualify and even for those that do, most clinics don’t
provide this type of service.
The Government should
strengthen and properly fund the Ontario Human Rights Commission, not dismantle
it.
Stop this legislation before it
starts. Hold a proper, open consultation with the public on how to fix the
Ontario Human Rights Commission. This is too important to Ontarians.
Sincerely,
