Common menu bar links
Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Canadian Human Rights Act
- What is the purpose of the Canadian Human Rights Act?
- What is discrimination?
- What are the prohibited grounds of discrimination?
What is the purpose of the Canadian Human Rights Act?
The purpose of the Canadian Human Rights Act is to ensure equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination, in areas under federal jurisdiction. The idea behind the Act is that people should not be placed at a disadvantage simply because of their age, sex, race or any other of the 11 prohibited grounds of discrimination covered by the Act.
The Commission is responsible for administering the Act.
Discrimination means treating people differently, negatively or adversely because of their race, age, religion, sex or other prohibited ground of discrimination. As used in the Canadian Human Rights Act, “discrimination” means making a distinction between certain individuals or groups based on a prohibited ground of discrimination.
Under the Canadian Human Rights Act, it is against the law for any employer, union or service provider that falls within federal jurisdiction to make unlawful distinctions based on one or more of the prohibited grounds of discrimination.
What are the prohibited grounds of discrimination?
The Act lists 11 prohibited grounds of discrimination.
