Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker

Introduction

The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight met on May 2, 2006 to review the 2004-2005 Annual Report of the Human Rights Commission. The committee would like to thank Ms. Mary Pat Short, chair of the Human Rights Commission, and Ms. Th‚rŠse Boullard, director of human rights, for appearing before us.

As the Human Rights Commission opened its doors on July 1, 2004, this was its first annual report and covers only the first nine months of operation, much of which was taken up by implementation matters. During the public hearing, Ms. Short and Ms. Boullard were also able to advise the committee of more recent activities and developments.

The committee was pleased to hear of the progress the commission has made in raising awareness about human rights through its web site, public service announcements and community meetings. We encourage the commission to continue expanding its efforts to make people aware of human rights issues, particularly in the smaller communities where the commission has not yet had a presence, and also through targeted outreach programs such as the one already under development regarding drug and alcohol testing in the workplace.

The committee was also pleased with the director's efforts to make the complaints process a relatively accessible one. However, we underline the importance of making it as easy as possible to obtain information and make complaints in all official languages.

Mr. Speaker, that concludes the introduction comments on this report.