Human Rights

Since the foundation of the UN, Canada has been firmly committed to the promotion of human rights within Canada and around the world.

Visit Alberta's centre for human rights to learn more about the Alberta Human Rights Act. The E-learning page has videos that highlight various types of discrimination.

An excellent and detailed timeline of the Black Canadians who fought for equal treatment under the law starting in 1850.

Passed in June 2017, Bill C-16 has become part of a larger conversation surrounding gender, pronoun use, freedom of speech, and the rights of transgender and gender-diverse Canadians.

Explore the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; learn about the different sections with "what it says" and "what it means". There are also teaching resources for educators.

CCLA fights for the civil liberties, human rights, and democratic freedoms of all people across Canada.

Learn about Africville, an African-Canadian village located just north of Halifax and founded in the mid-18th century. This article describes the origins and history of the community, as well as its unique culture and eventual destruction.

This site provides information about the Commission and human rights; there is also a glossary of commonly used terms (under Resources).

A 2019 report from Amnesty International about anti-Black racism in Canada. It gives examples of how racism is part of our Justice system and states that we have ignored the problem and continue to do so.

This organization offers several programs and services to support the LGBTQ community.

A column from the Edmonton Journal about the Supreme Court decision that established human rights for LGBTQ people in Canada

Information from the Government of Canada about the rights of Indigenous People. For many decades, First Nations people were not provided with full access to human rights protection – due in part to section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. The legislation was finally repealed in 2008; this means that First Nations individuals can now make complaints of discrimination to the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

This short video from Canada's Department of Justice presents the rights and freedoms that are part of the Charter.