To: caroline.mulroney@pc.ola.org
cc: doug.ford@pc.ola.org; ahorwath-qp@ndp.on.ca; ssingh-qp@ndp.on.ca; jfraser.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org; mschreiner@ola.org
bcc: opseucommunicationsdepartment@opseu.org
Subject: Stop the cuts to human rights!
Cut and paste the following message (Please feel free to personalize the message as you see fit.):
Dear Ms. Mulroney,
I am very concerned about the 10% funding cut your ministry has announced to the Human Rights Legal Support Centre (HRLSC), targeting their mediation project as of April 1, 2019. Human rights matter, and they must be protected.
The HRLSC protects everyone’s human rights by providing free legal service to thousands of people every year who have experienced discrimination. Representation at mediation is one of those services.
Mediation is a cost-effective and less combative way for people who have been discriminated against to reach a settlement with the other party. The HRLSC’s mediation team of Human Rights Representatives interview and assist clients at the early stages of their case – work that used to be done by staff lawyers. This frees up the lawyers to help more clients settle cases at mediation that might otherwise have gone to a lengthy and costly Human Rights Tribunal hearing. That saves the HRLSC money in legal costs and Ontario Human Rights Tribunal in hearing costs, too.
And mediation works! Last year, the HRLSC’s mediation project helped people settle more than 400 cases without going to a hearing. They’ve achieved a 75% increase in mediated settlements over four years. The program is so effective that the Mediation Project team won the Ontario Public Service’s Amethyst Award in 2018, the highest award for excellence in the OPS.
I don’t understand why you would want to cut the funding for such an efficient and successful program.
I support the work that the HRLSC does to protect my rights and those of my fellow Ontarians. I do not support your planned funding cut and ask that you restore the HRLSC’s full budget for 2019-2020.
Sincerely,
(YOUR NAME)