PACC Committee Report

Mr. John Williams, M.P.

Chair, Standing Committee on Public Accounts

House of Commons

Ottawa ON K1A 0A6

 

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

 

Pursuant to Standing Order 109 of the House of Commons, I am pleased to respond on behalf of the Government of Canada to the recommendations of the Ninth Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, tabled in the House of Commons on January 30, 2003.

 

I would like to thank you and the members of the Committee for your views on improving Canada’s human rights system.  The Government shares your commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights in Canada.  We also share your goal of ensuring that our human rights system continues to be effective. 

 

Three of the Committee's four recommendations concern reforming the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) and responding to the CHRA Review Panel Report.  Specifically, these recommendations propose indicating how the Government will respond to the Review Panel's proposals for amending the CHRA; reviewing the funding needs of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT); and specifying a target date for any amendments to the CHRA.

 

I should begin by pointing out that since the release of the Review Panel Report progress has been made in a number of areas with respect to human rights.  A new Chief Commissioner for the CHRC was appointed in August 2002 and some of the Report's proposals have been acted upon. For example, the CHRA was amended to prohibit the use of the Internet to spread hate.  Also, using the vehicle of the First Nations Governance Act (Bill C-7), the CHRA will be amended to make it apply to Aboriginal governments. 

 

As you know, the Review Panel Report contains an extensive list of recommendations ranging from significant structural and process changes to the addition of new grounds of discrimination.  Consequently, the Committee will understand the close scrutiny that government officials have had to bring to this Report.  As well, we are reviewing plans recently announced by the new Chief Commissioner of the CHRC for non-legislative reform of CHRC procedures, as outlined in the CHRC's latest Annual Report, its Report on Plans and Priorities, and in the Chief Commissioner’s Statement “New Approaches to the Protection of Human Rights” delivered to the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies on May 27, 2003.

 

As the Commission has already begun to implement their procedural changes, the Government believes it is important to take the time necessary to gauge the effectiveness of these reforms, before proceeding with its own CHRA reform.  This will give the Government the opportunity to determine, what, if any, other procedural reforms might still be necessary, while continuing to evaluate and develop the substantive proposals of the Review Panel.

 

After the Government has had sufficient time to assess the impact of the CHRC’s own reforms, the Government will table in the House a more detailed response to the Review Panel Report.  At that same time, we will address the issue of the resource needs of the CHRC and CHRT as well as the question of the timing for any possible amendments to the CHRA.  I should also add that the Government continues to allocate funding to the CHRC and the CHRT exclusively through the Main and Supplementary Estimates.

 

The Committee's fourth recommendation requests information on: performance measurements for the CHRC's EX group; the number of CHRC executives receiving performance bonuses; and the total amount of performance bonuses paid in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2003.

 

Performance measurements for the CHRC's EX group is governed by a Treasury Board government-wide policy.  Furthermore, the criteria and format for Departmental Performance Reports are under the aegis of the Treasury Board Secretariat and the CHRC will continue to conform to these standards in its Departmental Performance Report to Parliament.  The CHRC will provide the Committee with the information requested in Recommendation 4.

 

I would like to thank you and the members of the Committee for your valuable work on our human rights system and wish all of you well in your future endeavours.

 

 

 

 

 

Sincerely,




Martin Cauchon