I rise in this Honourable House today to bring attention to International Human Rights Day. Each year, December 10 is set aside in recognition of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. This year�s theme is "Speak Up, Stop Discrimination," during which time we are encouraged to celebrate the dedication of human rights defenders who work to end discrimination.

In this province, our government works tirelessly to protect human rights and freedoms for each and every Newfoundlander and Labradorian. It is vital that no one in our society be subjected to discrimination in any form. The protection of human rights and human dignity is fundamental to the proper functioning of any society.

Earlier this year I was pleased to stand in this Honourable House and introduce a new Human Rights Act that is progressive and sets the course for protection of the human rights for residents of our province. That new legislation has now replaced the Human Rights Code, which first came into force in 1971.

The new Human Rights Act contains four major changes that reflect the society we live in today and further help protect the rights and dignity of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

We changed the title from a code to an act and have added a preamble � we believe this is important as it signifies to everyone in our province that this legislation is law. We have modernized the language to reflect the changing ideals and attitudes of our society. We have expanded the protections afforded under the act in two ways � by adding new grounds of discrimination and by expanding the definition of discrimination. Finally, we have improved the procedure for the processing of complaints with the Human Rights Commission.

We have also proven our commitment to the protection of human rights through our continued support of the Human Rights Commission in this province. Funding for the commission now stands at over $1 million thanks to the investments of our government.

Our investments in human rights and our significant new legislation serve as the guidepost for how we treat each other in our society and I am confident it reflects the values of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and will do so for many years to come.