Liberals’ actions at
Queen’s Park mimic their plan for human rights: Casselman
TORONTO – The McGuinty
government’s decision to block public input into Bill 107
mimics how the legislation will block access to justice for
people with human rights complaints, the president of the
Ontario Public Service Employees Union says.
“If passed, Bill 107 will
give a voice to a small group while leaving the vast
majority of complainants to fend for themselves,” Leah
Casselman said today. “By actively preventing over 200
Ontario citizens from appearing before the legislative
committee looking into the bill, the Liberals are,
ironically, showing us their vision for the future of the
Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC).
“This is an outrageous
assault on the very people who need a strong, pro-active
Human Rights Commission the most,” she said.
Casselman said it was
“unbelievable” that the government would end hearings into
Bill 107 when the all-party committee studying the bill says
all citizens should be heard.
“This government would rather
ram through bad legislation and hope people forget about it
by Election Day than take the time that is needed to craft a
good bill,” she said. “Bill 107 proposes sweeping,
fundamental changes that will have an effect on human rights
in Ontario for a long, long time. People who care about
human rights deserve to be heard.”
OPSEU represents roughly 150
workers at the OHRC.
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For more information:
David Cox (416) 443-8888
ext. 8314; (416) 788-9197 (cell)
