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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. OHRC invites community participation in joint Peel Regional Police-OHRC community engagement sessions to address systemic racism in Peel policing

    March 14, 2022

    The OHRC and Peel Regional Police invite people who live or work in Mississauga or Brampton to register to take part in one of four online community engagement sessions on measures to address systemic racism in Peel policing.

  2. OHRC statement on Black History Month: Using the past to build an equitable future

    February 1, 2022

    Throughout February, the OHRC and people across Canada pause to honour and celebrate the immense achievements and contributions that Black people have made, and continue to make, across all sectors of society. We celebrate Black people’s determination, perseverance, resilience, and strength toward growing a more inclusive and just society.

  3. 2021 year-end highlights: A brief look at OHRC’s work this year

    December 22, 2021

    2021 has been a year of recovery, human rights challenges and adapting to the new normal. Through it, the Ontario Human Rights Commission has relentlessly continued to address pervasive inequities and systemic discrimination and racism with measures grounded in the Ontario Human Rights Code. As the journey continues, take a moment to look at some of the highlighted work of the OHRC from 2021.

  4. Law Commission of Ontario, Ontario Human Rights Commission and Canadian Human Rights Commission working together on human rights and the use of artificial intelligence

    December 10, 2021

    Today on Human Rights Day, the Law Commission of Ontario, the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Canadian Human Rights Commission announced a joint research and policy initiative to examine human rights issues in the development, use and governance of artificial intelligence and algorithms in Canada and specifically in Ontario.

  5. Letter to Ontario government ministers on the OHRC’s Policy statement on human rights in COVID-19 recovery planning

    November 9, 2021

    On November 9, 2021, the OHRC released its Policy statement on human rights in COVID-19 recovery planning. The OHRC has shared this statement with ministers across all relevant sectors, as we believe it will help guide their ministry’s pandemic recovery efforts.

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