Fonds - Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission fonds

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Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission fonds

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  • Variations in title: Previously known as RG 85

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45 m of textual records

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Biographical history

The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission was created by legislation in 1967. It attained substantially its present mandate two years later, when amendments to the Human Rights Act subsumed the previously separate Human Rights Commission Act. The mandate of the commission is to enforce and administer the Human Rights Act by investigating complaints of human rights violations and offering programs of public information and education regarding affirmative action and race relations. The act generally prohibits discrimination on any ground. The commission is headed by a director of human rights, who is chief executive officer and ex officio commissioner and has the status of a deputy minister. The commission is governed by commissioners appointed by the Cabinet and have the power to initiate formal inquiries, determine whether discrimination has occurred and, if so, what remedies may apply. In 1985 the ethnic services (race relations) division of the Department of Education was transferred to the Human Rights Commission and a coordinator of race relations appointed.

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Scope and content

Fonds consists of records documenting the administration of the Human Rights Act by the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, as well as other aspects of the Commission's mandate including the development of public information programs, encouraging research into the field of human rights, advising and assisting government departments and outside bodies in human rights matters, and the investigation of violations to the Act. Fonds explores the founding, activities, decisions, and development of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and its related legislation. <br><br>
These records offer excellent insight into the development of Human Rights legislation and practice in Nova Scotia, the relationship between government and minority communities in the province, and how the Commission works to engage and inform Nova Scotians. <br> <br>Fonds consists of five series:<br><br>
• Human Rights Commission Executive Records;
• Commissioners' Meeting Packages;
• Board of Inquiry Records;
• Human Rights Commission Operational Records; and
• Affirmative Action Records<br><br>

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Records have been transferred directly from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.

Arrangement

Fonds is arranged intellectually into five series, based on the Commission's primary activities.

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Boards of Inquiry and other potentially sensitive records will be reviewed before access is provided, according to privacy legislation.

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Associated materials

The Nova Scotia Archives also has the fonds of Donald E Curran, a long time Commission member. Within the records of Fred R MacKinnon, a long time Deputy Minister of Community Services, are found the records of the Interdepartmental Committee on Human Rights which are situated in that fonds as a series.

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Further accruals expected.

General note

For further information on the history of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, see Bridglal Pachai's book, Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, 25th Anniversary, 1967-1992: A History (Halifax, 1992), or the Annual Reports collection in the Archives' library.

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Copied from BosaNova, Dec 4, 2014, jml.

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