Research: Human Rights Complaint Mechanism in Canada

The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights is conducting research on the federal human rights complaint mechanism in Canada. Our goal is to identify barriers for human rights complainants within the Canadian Human Rights Commission in order to address the issues of the most vulnerable in our communities. 

As part of the project, we are inviting past or current complainants who have filed a human rights complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission to share their insights on their experience. We are asking human rights organizations if they know of any complainants who would be willing to speak with us. We invite participants to a virtual interview, which will be conducted by the research consultants implementing the project. Interviews will be 1-1.5 hours long, and will take place in October. An honorarium of $100 CAD will be provided for participants. The data from interviews and any results published will be made anonymous and kept confidential.

The preliminary findings of this research project will be presented at a human rights conference held in Edmonton in November 2021. Ultimately, we will produce and publish a report of our findings with concrete and tangible recommendations to improve the federal human rights complaint process. We will also commit to ongoing advocacy for these changes. 

If you know of any past or current complainants who would be interested in participating and/or would like to get more information on the project, please reach out and we would be glad to answer any questions you might have.  

Thank you for your help!