The following statement was issued by the Honourable Tom Marshall, Minister of Justice and Attorney General. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Anniversary of Signing of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

It gives me great pleasure to stand in the House of Assembly to recognize an important event in the history of human rights. Yesterday marked 58 years since the 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 people 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 that 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 accommodations on the basis of race, religion, religious creed, political opinion, colour or ethnic origin, national or social origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, physical disability or mental disability, source of income, and family status.

Harassment on the above noted grounds and sexual solicitation is also prohibited under the code. The Human Rights Code requires employers to pay equal wages to males and females who perform the same or similar work.

The recognition and protection of human rights is a hallmark of a civilized and tolerant society. How we as a society recognize and respect the dignity and worth of all persons without consideration of race, sex, creed or colour is an indication of how we have advanced in the acceptance of the inherent value and worth of all persons in the province. In May of this year, government amended the Human Rights Code to prohibit discrimination based on age, family status, and source of income and to extend the limitation period for bringing a complaint from six months to one year.

Government has also requested that the Human Rights Commission engage in public consultations to bring forward recommendations on further amendments to the Human Rights Code including a reformulation of the definition of mental disability. We want to bring the current definition in line with the definition contained in the proposed Mental Health Care and Treatment Act.

I encourage all members of the House of Assembly and all citizens of our province to mark the 58th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations and to promote the observance of human rights as a shared responsibility and to reaffirm our commitment to eliminate discrimination and harassment in all its forms.

2006 12 11                                    2:10 p.m.