Many Indigenous people* experience discrimination when they shop, sometimes due to racial profiling. Examples include when business owners or employees engage in targeted surveillance, make derogatory comments toward Indigenous customers related to their ancestry, race, or culture(s), or unjustly refuse to serve Indigenous customers.
Discrimination may also occur when a First Nations person seeks to use their Status card to request a tax exemption or as identification, or when other Indigenous documentation is used for identification (e.g., Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) client identification number).
Content warning:
This guide deals with topics that may cause trauma to some readers. It includes references to mistreatment of First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and urban Indigenous people, including racial discrimination. Please engage in self-care as you read this material. There are many resources available if you need additional support, some of which are listed on the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) website, here: https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/list-supports.
Additional resources
As a practical supplement to this guide, two fact sheets that summarize key information from the guide are available: