AB Human Rights: 2020-21 Annual Report Now Available

Introduction

The Alberta Human Rights Commission (the Commission) is an independent commission of the Government of Alberta, which is established under the Alberta Human Rights Act (the Act). The Commission’s Chief of the Commission and Tribunals is responsible for keeping the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, who has responsibility for the Act, informed about human rights issues and the Commission’s activities; providing the Members of the Commission with guidance regarding their tribunal hearings and other functions; providing guidance to the Director of the Commission and the Director of Communication, Education and Engagement regarding the overall goals and direction of the Commission; and rendering appeal decisions pursuant to section 26 of the Act.

Under section 19 of the Act, the Commission is required to submit a report of its activities at the end of each fiscal year, including a summary of the disposition of complaints under the Act and any other information that the Minister may require. This annual report provides a summary of activities that took place during the period April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

Mandate, Vision, Mission

Our Mandate

To foster equality and reduce discrimination.

Our Vision

A vibrant and inclusive Alberta where the rich diversity of people is celebrated and respected, and where everyone has the opportunity to fully participate in society, free from discrimination.

Our Mission

To serve the public interest by ensuring access to justice, advancing equity and inclusion, and upholding human rights principles in Alberta.

Message from the Chief of the Commission and Tribunals

I am pleased to present the 2020-21 Alberta Human Rights Commission Annual Report. It was impossible to predict that we would spend the entire fiscal year in the grips of an ongoing pandemic, nor what the impacts of that pandemic would be on Albertans. While the global health crisis brought people together and highlighted the strength and power of community generosity, it also brought into sharp contrast the disparity between various sectors in our province. The devastation COVID-19 has wrought on people who face disadvantages and marginalization has forced us to think deeply about how we care for others. Persons with disabilities who must already navigate barriers on a daily basis have had to contend with additional challenges and increased isolation during the pandemic. Persistent racial and ethnic tensions and acts of anti-Muslim, anti-Asian, anti-Black, and anti-Indigenous racism in this province continually remind us that there is still so much work to be done to eradicate discrimination.

In an effort to amplify the critical need to confront the increase in hate and racism towards racialized communities, I released four public statements condemning racism. Over the course of the year, the Commission supported organizations in their efforts to address racism. We met with members from the Black community to provide support for workshops that address anti racism. The Commission provided funding and educational support to the Act2end racism initiative, addressing racism towards Canadians of Asian descent. I was fortunate to have participated on a panel discussion organized by Act2endracism. We supported community initiatives like the Coalitions Creating Equity and the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee in their efforts to address hate in Alberta communities.

To address the discrimination and racism that Indigenous people in Alberta face, the Commission continued collaborating with the Indigenous community through initiatives like the Calgary Indigenous Human Rights Circle. In 2020-21, the Commission drafted an Indigenous Human Rights Strategy that aims to enhance access to our services for Indigenous communities. Commissions across Canada have long recognized that Indigenous individuals and communities do not engage the human rights system to address the discrimination they face. We believe it is both timely and important to address these barriers, and to work with Indigenous communities to build avenues and capacity to make the Commission a viable and effective route to redress discrimination for Indigenous individuals. This Strategy includes proposed actions for addressing the systemic issues impacting Indigenous Albertans and will help guide the Commission’s practices.

On the disability front, the Commission worked with the disability sector through the Alberta Ability Network (AAN) to move forward on adopting accessibility legislation in Alberta. Together, we hosted the Alberta-bility webinar to explore and propose options for Alberta to have accessibility legislation, similar to what is in place federally and in other provinces. This webinar engaged key stakeholders and helped raise awareness and garner support for accessibility legislation in Alberta.

The Commission increased its presence in public policy engagement, providing detailed input and human rights considerations to the Government of Alberta’s Police Act review in early 2021. We also joined human rights commissions across Canada in calling on the Government of Canada to develop and implement a nationwide strategy for collecting disaggregated health data focused on race and Indigeneity.

In the midst of the pandemic that saw most of our staff working from home, we strove not only to uphold the level of service to Albertans previously offered before the pandemic, but also to enhance those services. The Commission received an increase in calls from individuals, employers, and service providers related

to COVID-19. We provided information on COVID-19 and human rights on our website, which received over 145,000 visits from the public, and we answered over 8,000 calls to the confidential inquiry line.

The conclusion of the Complaint Inventory Resolution Project on March 31, 2021, established to deal with complaints that had been waiting in the queue for a significant period of time, saw 843 backlogged complaints resolved. Resolution of an additional

491 complaints brought the Commission’s total resolution count for 2020-21 to a record-breaking 1,334 complaints.

New Bylaws were approved on December 1, 2020. These Bylaws address complaint processes and procedures at various stages, including at the Director and tribunal stages. The Tribunal Office also developed a number of new and updated Practice Directions that govern how certain issues or proceedings before the tribunal should be addressed or conducted.

These are important and timely initiatives. As we forge ahead, I am optimistic that the work we have started in 2020-21 will be a strong foundation for increased action, advocacy, and human rights advancement.

None of the work we undertook this year could have been accomplished without the dedication and commitment of the staff and Members of the Commission. I continue to be proud of their work and their tenacity as we faced significant challenges and seized opportunities to advance human rights in Alberta.

My thanks and admiration goes out to all.

Michael Gottheil
Chief of the Commission and Tribunals

Read More: https://albertahumanrights.ab.ca/about/Documents/25564%20HR%20Annual%20Report%2020-21.pdf

NT5