Human rights are often among the first victims of war. So it is not surprising that after September 11, governments and citizens around the world focused mainly on security. Indeed, the right to life is the bedrock of human rights — without it, all other rights are meaningless. We must ask ourselves, however, what price we are willing to pay for a greater measure of security. This is the issue Canadians faced in the fall of 2001.

During the debate on the Government’s proposed anti-terrorism measures, many Canadians urged Parliament to act cautiously in limiting our human rights. They urged measures to ensure that Canada remains a country that treats all its people, whatever their race or religion, with respect.

But how can we best ensure that this is so? One important step would be to provide front-line human rights institutions like the Commission with the tools they need to carry on the fight.

Successive governments have talked about fundamentally reforming the Canadian Human Rights Act but have not followed through. The Commission’s mandate and structure — a generation old — need modernizing. The work of human rights protection and promotion has become significantly more difficult and complex in the 23 years since the Commission opened its doors. Handling the complaints load means that very limited resources are available for the equally important task of preventing, through human rights education and policy initiatives, discrimination before it occurs.

The first part of this report outlines what the Commission has done over the year to protect and promote human rights, and to comment on major human rights developments. It looks at the year’s important human rights events, and highlights relevant actions of our government and of our courts and tribunals.

Subsequent chapters on case work and human rights promotion provide statistics on human rights complaints dealt with by the Commission, as well as details on some of the promotion and education activities carried out nationally and in specific regions of the country.

This publication is available as a sound recording, in large print, in braille and on diskette.

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