Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission

The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission was established in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1967 to administer the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission is the first commission in Canada to engage a restorative dispute resolution process.

The Commission is an arm's-length independent agency of the Government of Nova Scotia accountable to the Nova Scotia Department of Justice for budgetary issues. The Commission's mandate under the Act includes: helping people prevent discrimination through public education and public policy, and effecting resolution in situations where a complaint of discriminatory behaviour has been initiated.^[1]

The Commission offers assistance to those trying to prevent discrimination on the basis of ethnic, national and aboriginal origin, age, color, creed, disability (physical and mental and perception of it), ethnic origin, family status (parent-child relationship), fear of contracting an illness, gender expression, harassment based on other protected characteristics, national origin, marital status, sex (including pregnancy), sexual identity, sexual harassment, political belief, race, religion, source of income.^[2] It is also a violation to retaliate against someone who files a complaint or expresses an intention to complain or to retaliate against someone who assists in making a complaint.^[3]