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Human rights proceedings “akin to a lawsuit”
by Scott Gilbreath ~ December 12th, 2008
So says David Larter, executive director of the Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission. That is a startling admission for a bureaucrat in his position to make.
He needs to get with the programme: Hasn’t he read the script for defenders of Canada’s “human rights” commissions? Our human rights commissions avoid adversarial procedures. Canada is more civilised than that. Our way is to promote conciliation and harmony by summoning insensitive bigots uninformed rednecks to informal re-education sessions. Offenders are enlightened; they come to see the error of their ways; they capitulate apologise.
Commissions thus perform an indispensable role in ensuring that our fair land remains on the path to utopia.
No panels of the P.E.I. Human Rights Commission sat in 2008, as all complaints were settled before reaching that stage in the proceedings.
[…]
The most common discrimination complaints involve employment, disabilities and political beliefs. Larter said it is better to resolve issues without the panel, which take a lot of time and money for everyone involved.
How exactly do “political beliefs” give grounds for a discrimination claim?
“It’s akin to a lawsuit,” he said.
“If I were to sue you and we appear in court, we’re going to have to call our witnesses; it’s the same thing with a panel hearing on the Human Rights Act.”
Except that a real court observes legal safeguards that a “human rights” panel does not—presumption of innocence, rules of evidence, and other inconveniences.
Nevertheless, Mr Larter foresees some lawsuits human rights panels in the near future.
While have been no cases in 2008, Larter said there are two or three cases currently on the commission’s books that he expects will reach the panel stage in the new year.
I wonder if any of those eagerly anticipated panels will deal with “complaints” about “political beliefs”.
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December 13th, 2008 at 07:53 PM
[...] at the PEI HRC. That would be like the CHRC having 2,100 staff, instead of the 200 that they do.Nova Scotia Scott points out that Larter made a gaffe — he acknowledged that HRC complaints are just like lawsuits. [...]
December 15th, 2008 at 04:20 PM
[...] HUMAN RIGHTS proceedings “akin to a lawsuit” …. [...]