In Canada, human rights are protected by federal, provincial and territorial laws. We refer to these as jurisdictions. The Canadian Human Rights Commission only deals with discrimination complaints under federal jurisdiction. Complaints filed under the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) must be about federally regulated employers, federally regulated employee organizations, and or federally regulated service providers.
Sometimes complaints can be made against an individual, like in cases of discriminatory harassment. But overall, the Commission deals with complaints related to federally regulated organizations, including:
There are many other organizations in Canada also responsible for helping people when they are treated unfairly, such as in the following situations.
If you want to file a human rights complaint against a private business such as a retail store, a restaurant, a gas station, or an insurance company, etc., visit your provincial or territorial human rights agency.
If you want to file a complaint against a provincial or territorial human rights government, visit your provincial or territorial human rights agency.
If you make a complaint to the Commission for unfair treatment related to accessibility, we may refer you to another organization that is better suited to address your issue.
For example, one of these organizations listed may be more appropriate to deal with your accessibility complaint.
Who you file your complaint to depends on your situation.
You have four options, depending on your situation:
Option 1 – You should file a complaint with the Commission and at the same time file a grievance with your union if:
Option 2 – You should file a complaint with the Commission and at the same time go to the Canada Labour Program if:
Important: The Canada Labour Program or your union may handle your complaint first. But if your human rights were not appropriately addressed, you can return to the Commission. By engaging both organizations at the same time, you are still meeting the one-year filing requirement under the Canadian Human Rights Act. And it means your complaint is now in our queue should you decide to return to the Commission.
Option 3 – You should go solely to the Canada Labour Program if:
Option 4 – You should go to your provincial or territorial human rights agency if:
If you need help with the immigration process, visit Immigration and Citizenship Canada’s website for more information.
If you need help filing a complaint related to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, contact a lawyer. If you don't know a lawyer, you might find it helpful to use the list of provincial and territorial Legal Aid services.
To find out how file a police report or report a criminal matter, contact your local police or local RCMP.
Who you file your complaint to depends on your situation.
You should file a complaint with the Commission and at the same time go to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP if:
Important: The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission may handle your complaint first. But if your human rights have not been appropriately addressed, you can return to the Commission. By engaging both organizations at the same time, you are still meeting the one-year filing requirement under the Canadian Human Rights Act. And it means your complaint is now in our queue should you decide to return to the Commission.
To find how to file a complaint related to Canada's official languages, visit the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages website.
To find an Alternative Dispute Resolution Practitioner near you, visit the ADR Institute of Canada (adric.ca)