Today, the Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the federal Pay Equity Commissioner welcome the timeline for the coming into force of the Pay Equity Act, which will ensure equal pay for work of equal value. This new law is an important tool in promoting gender equality, closing the gender wage gap and contributing to greater equity and inclusion in Canada.
We stand together in solidarity, grief and pain with the Cowessess First Nation of Saskatchewan over this latest discovery of hundreds upon hundreds of unmarked children’s graves at the former Marieval residential school site. We stand with residential school survivors and their families, Indigenous leaders and the entire Cowessess First Nation.
Over the course of 2020, the global pandemic changed almost every aspect of life in Canada. It has separated us from family, friends and colleagues. But it has also united us in a common challenge and singular focus.
The human rights issues facing First Nations, the Métis Nation, and Inuit are among the most pressing in our country. Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including through the adoption of Bill C-15 by Parliament, would represent a vital step towards promoting and protecting Indigenous rights in Canada. It would signal a clear commitment to advancing reconciliation.
Today, on International Human Rights Day, we must reflect on the global pandemic that has impacted our everyday lives and the human rights of people in Canada.
In March of this year, the Commission hosted important roundtable discussions with stakeholders representing racialized communities from across Canada. Our objective was to listen, learn and take action. At the roundtable discussion, stakeholders shared important recommendations for how to improve the Commission's complaint processes and its operations more generally.
The audit will focus on departments and agencies that comprise 500+ employees.
Ms. Jensen is an experienced lawyer who has represented clients in human rights law, constitutional law, and employment and labour law cases for over 25 years. She has provided legal advice and representation before all levels of Canada’s courts and tribunals. She has investigated and advised organizations on diverse issues such as allegations of sexual harassment, professional misconduct, and compliance with constitutional, international and domestic human rights requirements.
In its 2018 Annual Report released today, the Canadian Human Rights Commission says more people contacted the Commission to ask for help than any other year in its history.
Today, the Correctional Investigator of Canada, Dr. Ivan Zinger, and the Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, Ms. Marie-Claude Landry, released a joint report entitled Aging and Dying in Prison: An Investigation into the Experiences of Older Individuals in Federal Custody.