B.C. set to reboot human-rights agency after ‘rocky past’

British Columbia is set to re-establish a human-rights commission in the province, after 25 recommendations were issued on Sunday for the Attorney-General to consider as the NDP government looks to fulfill an election promise.

The proposals include a commissioner who reports directly to the legislature, rather than to the government, to help underpin the commission's independence and produce "candid" information. The call for such independence was among the main things heard during two months of consultations, led by the NDP's Ravi Kahlon, parliamentary secretary for sport and multiculturalism.

"The human-rights commission in B.C. has had a rocky past," Mr. Kahlon said on a conference call on Sunday, "as opposed to other provinces which have had a human-rights commission very consistently. … People wanted some stability and they wanted some independence."

Mr. Kahlon's report and recommendations now go Attorney-General David Eby. The plan is to establish the commission in 2018 through legislation. Mr. Eby and Premier John Horgan have spoken strongly in favour for such a body in recent months. B.C. is the only province without a human-rights commission, one that generally operates at arms-length from government and works to raise awareness of human-rights issues.

B.C.'s previous Human Rights Commission was established in 1997, under an NDP provincial government, and dismantled in 2002, under a Liberal government. The focus at that point was put on the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body that adjudicates complaints filed to it.

The new commission will complement the existing Human Rights Tribunal which, as an impartial decision-maker, cannot take an activist role.

Mr. Kahlon, in his report to Mr. Eby, proposed a single commissioner – "dynamic and visionary" – with an allocated budget, supported by a staff, an advisory council, working groups and community partnerships.

Three initial priorities were proposed: human rights for Indigenous people; a re-consideration of the requirement for gender identity in public documents; and the issue of foreign credentials, when newcomers arrive in Canada and often see their previous experience and education disregarded.

Of the three, Mr. Kahlon highlighted the focus on Indigenous people.

"It is clear that reconciliation must be a priority for the new commission," he wrote in his finding. "Throughout this engagement, many Indigenous persons explained their frustration with report after report being written and little-to-no action being taken."

Another proposal was for the human-rights commissioner to have the power to call an inquiry on "systemic instances of discrimination" to gather information and put forth recommendations. It was noted such inquiries can publicize broader issues that individual complaints to the Human Rights Tribunal do not resolve.

Mr. Kahlon, today 38, was born and raised in Victoria and, at 15, moved to Delta.

Mr. Kahlon described the two months of public consultations to consider a new human-rights commission as "life changing." The work covered a wide ambit, everything from racism to transphobia.

It was also personal, Mr. Kahlon said on Sunday. In various meetings, he shared some of his own experiences.

"I've faced isolated discrimination, subtle racism, but not as much as what I heard through this consultation process."