CORRECTION: Chronic Underfunding, Not Direct Cuts Led to Closure of Three Human Rights Offices

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 10, 2012) - Today, the Ontario Federation of Labour was contacted by the Canadian Human Rights Commission, which reported an inaccuracy in the OFL's Official Statement to mark December 10 as International Human Rights Day.

In the OFL's statement, it was reported that cuts implemented by the Stephen Harper government led to the closure of three offices of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. We have been informed that such cuts have been inaccurately reported in the media and in the OFL statement. Please find the revised statement of the Ontario Federation of Labour here: http://ofl.ca/index.php/humanrightsday2012/.

It is also worth remembering that Stephen Harper has made his contempt for human rights commissions very public. In 1999, while heading up the National Citizen's Coalition, Harper told the media:

"Human rights commissions, as they are evolving, are an attack on our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society... It is in fact totalitarianism. I find this is very scary stuff."

After years of chronic underfunding of the Commission, offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax were closed in 2010, under the Harper Government. These closures will have a detrimental impact on claimants, 40 percent of whose claims are made on the basis of discrimination on the grounds of disability.

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow the OFL on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/OFLabour) and Twitter: @OFLabour (www.twitter.com/oflabour).