National Conference in Halifax

The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission is hosting a national conference of human rights organizations from May 31 to June 2, 1998.

The conference, called CASHRA 98, is a gathering of about 130 delegates from across Canada. They include commissioners and staff members from other provincial human rights commissions and the Canadian Human Rights Commission, equity officers at major corporations, academics and others. The theme of the conference is human rights in the 21st century.

"A training conference like this one helps participants to be better prepared for the challenges of addressing discrimination in our society," said Dr. Jim Smith, Minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. "Staff at the commission have devoted much time and energy to make the conference a success."

The conference features workshops and sessions on systemic discrimination, resolving conflict through mediation, emerging areas such as intersectionality, which is discrimination based on more than one ground, and the practice of human rights across international borders.

Peter Gzowski, author and host of Gzowski in Conversation, will give the keynote address June 1.

"Nova Scotia is hosting this conference for the first time in about a quarter of a century," said Mary MacLennan, chair of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and the president of CASHRA. "We appreciate the opportunity to help promote human rights in Nova Scotia and to share knowledge and understanding of the issues that affect all of us."

CASHRA stands for the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies, which was created in 1976 as a forum to promote human rights and to exchange information, ideas and experiences among member agencies. CASHRA has 13 member agencies, including the Canadian Human Rights Commission and human rights commissions in the provinces and territories.

"The conference is a good opportunity for staff of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission to network with their peers across Canada, to compare experiences, and to figure out how we can better serve the public," said Wayne MacKay, executive director of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.

"Human rights issues are changing and becoming more complex. We need to rethink some of the ways we address these issues. That is a major theme of this conference."

The year 1998 is a significant milestone for human rights. It marks the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the basic international pronouncement of the fundamental rights of all members of the human family.

For registration information on CASHRA 98, call 902-424-3199.