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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. Policy on height and weight requirements

    June 1996 - Standards for height and weight are sometimes used to screen or evaluate job applicants. In the OHRC's experience, this tends to occur in recruitment for occupations that traditionally have been male dominated. These standards or selection criteria are based on the average physical stature of men in the majority population group. Women and members of racialized groups are, on the average, physically smaller than members of the majority population group. Consequently, these groups tend to be disadvantaged by height and weight criteria. The policy of the OHRC with regard to such recruitment practices is set out below. This policy applies to all height and weight criteria used in the context of employment.
  2. Policy on discrimination and language

    June 1996 - This policy statement sets out the OHRC’s position on language-based discrimination in the areas of employment, accommodation, services, contracts, and membership in trade unions, trades, occupational associations or self-governing professions. Although the Code does not explicitly identify "language" as a prohibited ground of discrimination, the Human Rights tribunal of Ontario may consider claims under a number of related grounds, such as ancestry, ethnic origin, place of origin and in some circumstances, race. In the Commission's experience, language can be an element of a complaint based on any of these grounds.

  3. 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.

  4. Human rights commissions and economic and social rights

    2001 - This paper is one of several initiatives by the Ontario Human Rights Commission to explore ways in which human rights commissions can become more involved in protecting and promoting economic and social rights and in implementing international treaties to which Canada is a party. The challenge for human rights commissions is to find ways to maximize the potential of their mandates to promote international standards, including those contained in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
  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. Human Rights Commission to hear personal accounts of racial profiling

    February 17, 2003

    Toronto - Following up on a commitment made in December to take action on racial profiling, Chief Commissioner Keith Norton today announced plans to hold an inquiry into this activity. "Racial profiling in any context is wrong. We are concerned about the negative impacts of this practice on individuals and entire communities," stated Mr. Norton. "To address the issue, the Commission has worked closely with community partners and this initiative is a result of that cooperative effort," he further added. Over the next two weeks, interested individuals who believe that they have been profiled are invited to talk about that experience with the Commission and relate the repercussions that the incident has had on their lives and their outlook towards society.

  8. 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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