Under the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Commission is charged not only with investigating and resolving complaints, but also with promoting awareness and understanding of human rights, and carrying out research on human rights issues. While these roles are separate, ideally they work in concert. Clearly, greater knowledge about, and acceptance of, human rights principles will help prevent discriminatory acts or policies.

After focussing its resources on its complaints-handling role in recent years, in 2000 the Commission was able to place renewed emphasis on human rights promotion. The Commission has developed a three-year strategy which identifies the key messages the Commission wants to convey and the audiences it wants to hear them. The strategy also reinforces the importance of partnerships with other organizations to help broaden its reach. In 2000, the Commission began to lay the foundation for this approach for the coming years. It worked to promote human rights in the workplace through new tools and educational initiatives, and forged links with partners to help bring its messages to a broader range of Canadians.

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