Similarly, Bill 107 was also supposed to establish new Anti-Racism and Disability Rights Secretariats. Both Secretariats were to undertake, direct and encourage research into discriminatory practices on the basis of racism and disability. They were supposed to facilitate the development and provision of public information and education programs intended to reduce and eliminate discriminatory practices in those areas. To date, neither Secretariat is up and running. This delay calls into question the sincerity of the Ontario government’s commitment to equality.

Our goal as human rights advocates is to make sure that Ontario’s Human Rights system is inclusive, accessible and works effectively for all victims of discrimination and harassment.  But with inadequate statistical data, it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of the system, and determine whether it is fulfilling its mandate.

And while we appreciate the information that we have received from Kathy Laird, the Human Rights Legal Support Centre and the Human Rights Commission staff who assisted us with answering some of our queries, our legitimate concerns persist:

- Does the system address the financial and power imbalance between individual complainants with limited resources and well-funded employers in both the public and private sectors?

- What were the outcomes of the many cases that were filed with the Human Rights Commission prior to the enactment of Bill 107?

- Are all complainants in a position to access the independent legal counsel that this government promised, in a timely and expedient manner even if there is no income testing?

- Is the new system too difficult for the average citizen to access and navigate on their own without the assistance of a lawyer?

- Are complainants giving up because of red tape that causes confusion in the complaints process?

- Are cases being filed or abandoned because of delays due to inadequate staffing, inadequate funding or other general limits on accessibility?

- Are complainants receiving funding for expert witnesses?

- Is geography a barrier to those seeking legal support through the Legal Support Centre, especially for those who live outside the Greater Toronto Area where the Centre is presently located?