B.C.’s first independent human rights commissioner is sworn in to begin work

VICTORIA – British Columbia’s new human rights commissioner has been sworn in at the legislature.

Lawyer Kasari Govender’s role is to lead the promotion and protection of human rights in the province.

The B.C. government says the office is the first independent human rights commission in Canada.

Govender was the executive director for West Coast LEAF, a legal fund that works to fight gender-based discrimination.

The mandate of the office includes educating B.C. residents on human rights and examining and addressing issues of systemic discrimination.

The office, headquartered in Vancouver, is now one of three human rights supports in the province that includes the Human Rights Tribunal and the Human Rights Clinic.