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Race and related grounds

Under the Code, every person has the right to be free from racial discrimination and harassment in the social areas of employment, services, goods, facilities, housing accommodation, contracts and membership in trade and vocational associations. You should not be treated differently because of your race or other related grounds, such as your ancestry, ethnicity, religion or place of origin. 

Canada, its provinces and territories have strong human rights laws and systems in place to address discrimination. At the same time, we also have a legacy of racism – particularly towards Indigenous persons, but to other groups as well including African, Chinese, Japanese, South Asian, Jewish and Muslim Canadians – a legacy that profoundly permeates our systems and structures to this day, affecting the lives of not only racialized persons, but also all people in Canada.

Relevant policies: 

  1. MMAH Provincial Policy Statement Review on land use planning - OHRC letter

    December 7, 2012

    Dear Minister, Please find attached the submission of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) regarding the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s proposed amendments to the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) 2005 on land use planning. The OHRC made an initial submission when your Ministry’s review began in 2010.

  2. Celebrating the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

    March 21, 2013

    Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) joins human rights commissions and agencies across Canada and around the world in celebrating the United Nations (UN) International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The day pays tribute to the tragic events of March 21, 1960 in Sharpeville, South Africa when 69 peaceful demonstrators were killed as they protested against apartheid. Canada was one of the first countries to support the UN initiative.

  3. Letter to the Toronto Police Services Board regarding the analysis of contact card data

    March 28, 2013

    Dear Dr. Mukherjee, I wish to commend the Toronto Police Services Board's (the "TPSB") approval of a project to collect and analyze data related to contact cards and the pattern of contact between the police and members of the community in general including young people from certain racialized communities. I also understand that the TPSB is seeking an opinion from the City Solicitor on the legality of the practice of carding and the issuance of receipts, which engages the issue of human rights-based data collection and analysis.

  4. Ontario Human Rights Commission announces partnerships on human rights projects

    January 11, 2001

    Toronto - Chief Commissioner Keith C. Norton today announced three partnerships to enhance the Commission's efforts to promote understanding of human rights. Working with partners is a key part of the Commission's public education strategy and has been clearly identified by stakeholders as something the Commission must do more of.

  5. Commission calls for increased vigilance

    September 10, 2002

    Toronto - Chief Commissioner Keith Norton today reiterated a call for increased vigilance and the need to strike a balance between protecting human rights and maintaining public security. Reflecting on the first anniversary of the tragic events of last September 11th, Mr. Norton stated, "Although we would like to believe that tolerance has become part of our core values, regrettably, incidents of hate and discrimination towards certain community members of our society in the aftermath of last year’s events underline an ongoing need for vigilance."

  6. Ontario Human Rights Commission takes action on racial profiling

    December 9, 2002

    Toronto - The Ontario Human Rights Commission will hold an inquiry into the effects of racial profiling on communities, Chief Commissioner Keith Norton announced today on the eve of International Human Rights Day. After meeting with community leaders, the Chief Commissioner noted that a measure of the human cost of profiling has been missing from the public debate. "There is a need to gauge the impact of this inappropriate practice. This is not another study on racism or an investigation of the police services, rather it is an opportunity for the Commission to look into the effects of profiling, in all its contexts, on individuals, families and communities. The inquiry will reach out to communities across the province."

  7. Commission gives progress report on its racial profiling initiative

    March 21, 2003

    Toronto - On this International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Chief Commissioner Keith Norton announced that he is very satisfied with the response and the support the Commission has received for its racial profiling initiative, stating that, "I am now more convinced than ever that this was an appropriate way to deal with this issue. Since the inquiry’s launch on February 17th, 2003, the Commission has received over 800 contacts. While not all of the contacts fit the parameters of the inquiry, the feedback has exceeded our expectations in terms of both quality and quantity."

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