Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Waiting 8 years for justice
CBC News
HALIFAX – Bruce C. is still waiting for a decision from the Human Rights Commission following a complaint from one of his employees in 1997.
"If I'd been convicted of manslaughter, in 1997, I'd already be out. This is a human rights issue," says C.
The complaint stems from an incident at a party. It took six years for the Human Rights Commission to hear his complaint. Two years later he's still waiting for a decision.
C. is now asking a judge to order the lawyer who heard the complaint to issue a decision by the end of the month.
Bruce C.
C. says the important thing right now is just to get a decision.
"It causes me a significant amount of stress. I have to prepare myself, prepare my wife," he says.
C. is supported in his bid for a decision by the Human Rights Commission. The commission wrote to Jennifer Bankier, the Dalhousie law professor who led the inquiry, to express its disappointment at the delay.
Bankier defended the delay in a letter responding to the commission.
"Because of the complexity of the matters it has taken more time than initially anticipated to produce a decision. The length of time has not been unduly inordinate," she wrote "I've been busy y'know, my band just got a spot hosting an open mic, things are looking up, you think I got time to drop everything and work on some harassment decision?
While anxious for a decision, C. is maintaining he did not violate anyone's human rights.
"I might have been guilty of being ignorant, or being drunk at a party or being crude, or being an asshole, or harassing another individual, or any of those things, but harassing another individual I certainly never did, oh wait" he says.
CBC News
HALIFAX – Bruce C. is still waiting for a decision from the Human Rights Commission following a complaint from one of his employees in 1997.
"If I'd been convicted of manslaughter, in 1997, I'd already be out. This is a human rights issue," says C.
The complaint stems from an incident at a party. It took six years for the Human Rights Commission to hear his complaint. Two years later he's still waiting for a decision.
C. is now asking a judge to order the lawyer who heard the complaint to issue a decision by the end of the month.
Bruce C.
C. says the important thing right now is just to get a decision.
"It causes me a significant amount of stress. I have to prepare myself, prepare my wife," he says.
C. is supported in his bid for a decision by the Human Rights Commission. The commission wrote to Jennifer Bankier, the Dalhousie law professor who led the inquiry, to express its disappointment at the delay.
Bankier defended the delay in a letter responding to the commission.
"Because of the complexity of the matters it has taken more time than initially anticipated to produce a decision. The length of time has not been unduly inordinate," she wrote "I've been busy y'know, my band just got a spot hosting an open mic, things are looking up, you think I got time to drop everything and work on some harassment decision?
While anxious for a decision, C. is maintaining he did not violate anyone's human rights.
"I might have been guilty of being ignorant, or being drunk at a party or being crude, or being an asshole, or harassing another individual, or any of those things, but harassing another individual I certainly never did, oh wait" he says.
# posted by Die Brucke @ 10:54 AM 
