The following statement was issued today by Kevin Aylward, Minister of Environment and Labour. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

The 48th Anniversary of the Signing of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights It gives me great pleasure to stand in the House of Assembly to recognize a very important event in the history of human rights.

Today, December 10, marks 48 years since the first Signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations. In 1948, the United Nations unanimously adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and for all nations.

In honour of this universal declaration, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador proclaimed the Human Rights Code, along with other jurisdictions in Canada and other nations who have proclaimed human rights legislation. The provincial Human Rights Code, which is enforced by the Human Rights Commission, prohibits discrimination in the areas of employment, services, publications and accommodation on the basis of race, religion, religious creed, political opinion, colour or ethnic, national or social origin, sex, marital status, physical disability or mental disability. Age is protected in employment. Harassment on the above-noted grounds and sexual solicitation is also prohibited under the Code. Also, the Human Rights Code requires employers to pay equal wages to males and females who perform the same or similar work.

The Human Rights Commission was established to administer and enforce the Human Rights Code. In doing so, complaints are investigated and attempts are made to bring about settlements. To date, this year the commission has accepted 52 complaints for investigation. As well, the commission is currently undertaking a review of the Human Rights Code to ascertain whether it adequately addresses the needs of the people of the province. The last amendment to the code was in 1988.

I have also asked the commission to consider in this review the recommendations of the Human Rights Association which were submitted to me in September of this year.

Earlier this year, I announced government's intention to introduce, at the appropriate time, legislation to address the issue of "sexual orientation" as a prohibited ground for discrimination, into the Human Rights Code. This matter is currently under very active analysis and consideration. I hope to be in a position soon to make a more definitive statement with regard to this issue.

I encourage all members of the House of Assembly and the citizens of our province to actively promote the observance of human rights as a shared responsibility and to reaffirm our commitment to eliminate discrimination in all its forms. I am pleased to bring to the attention of Honourable Members that today is the 48th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations, and to mark the celebration of International Human Rights Day.