Posts
Judge orders PEI HRC to butt in again
by Scott Gilbreath ~ May 28th, 2009
Prince Edward Island’s Human Rights Commission may have nine staff members to police a population of 140,000, making it, as Ezra Levant pointed out, proportionately over ten times larger than the Canadian Human Rights Commission, but it’s not busy enough for at least one Islander. After PEI’s HRC rejected her claim of discrimination in 2003, Debra Kelly went to court.
A judge has now ordered the commission to re-open her case.
A judge has ordered the P.E.I. Human Rights Commission to revisit the complaint of a woman who says she is the victim of discrimination by provincial social assistance officials.
Debra Kelly’s complaint, that she is being denied her full share of social assistance, dates back to 2003. Child support for her two children is considered part of Kelly’s income, so, she says, her welfare has been cut to a few hundred dollars a month.
The CBC news story does not specify the type of discrimination she alleges she suffered at the hands of social assistance authorities, and it’s not obvious from the facts reported. I guess the CBC doesn’t think its readers need to concern themselves with such minor details.
A search of the PEI HRC website turns up nothing on the Kelly case.
One would think the executive director of PEI’s HRC would disagree with the decision. His agency examined and dismissed Ms Kelly’s complaint, not once, but twice. One would think he’d take the view that his investigators gave her complaint careful consideration and found it lacking for good reason.
One would be wrong.
“I think it’s a fine decision,” said commission executive director David Larter.
“I’ll be asking the chairperson to convene a panel hearing in order to have the complaint, and the issues that arose from the complaint, be heard.”
That will do wonders for office morale.
Print This Post
May 28th, 2009 at 01:41 PM
One can easily see why the commission would love such a ruling. It keeps them busy. It gives them a raison d’etre
May 29th, 2009 at 07:37 AM
That’s very true, John, but calling it a “fine decision” seems to undermine the work of his own employees. He could have accepted the ruling without applauding it, if only for the sake of office morale.
June 1st, 2009 at 11:19 AM
[...] JUDGE ORDERS PEI HRC to butt in again …. [...]