'Human Rights' System in Free Fall?

Is the federal "human rights" racket in the process of imploding? That's a fair conclusion to draw from this Ottawa Citizen story about the acting head of the Canadian "Human Rights" Commission (is head Commissar Jennifer Lynch, who's had some health issues, on sick leave? gone for good?) chiding the Canadian "Human Rights" Tribunal. At issue: the Tribunal's laggardliness in adjudicating a case the CHRC sent it two years ago. The case involves First Nations leadership, who are whinging that the federal government doesn't give their kids enough "welfare" shekels. Acting CHRC head David Langtry says this case is crucial because

"If it is determined that these services do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Human Rights Act," he said, "Canadians may no longer be able to file discrimination complaints in relation to services provided by the government."

Decoding the "rights"-speak: what he's really worried about is the future viability of his "human rights" body: if Canadians can no longer file discrimination complaints against the government, there goes a sizable segment of the CHRC's bread and butter.

But that's down the road. In the here and now, the acting head should have other worries--like the fact that the "human rights" system is falling apart before his eyes:

According to the Public Service Alliance, five employees -roughly a quarter of the staff -have filed harassment-related complaints against tribunal chair Shirish Chotalia, the Calgary lawyer appointed in late 2009 by the Harper government.

More than half of the staff have left for other public service jobs or been sidelined by stress since she took over.

Chotalia has refused to be interviewed about the problems and acting tribunal executive director Frederick Gloade did not return a call from the Citizen on Monday.

The Privy Council Office has said it will investigate the tribunal's workplace problems but has yet to do so.

I venture that the CHRC boss-for-now is also concerned that the Tribunal threatens to topple the whole rickety "human rights" apparatus--and sooner rather than later. (The conspiracy-minded might conclude that the Harper Tories put Chotalia the fox in the CHRC hen house for the express purpose of causing the implosion.)