This weekend, the world will be celebrating the International Human Rights Day. In 1948, after bearing witness to some of the most inhumane tragedies of modern times, the nations of the world reacted in the only way they saw fit — to codify its promise to humanity the core values of equality, justice and human dignity. And so was written the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was not an apology, per se. But it was an acknowledgement of the horrors that had occurred, and a promise that they would never happen again.
In timing with the 40th anniversary of the Canadian Human Rights Act this past July, the Commission set out to create a conference that not only celebrates 40 years of human rights progress in Canada, but that looks ahead to the challenges and opportunities of the next 40 years.
In response to the federal government’s announcement in supporting Bill C-262 that ensures the full implementation of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Marie-Claude Landry, Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, issues the following statement
Forty years ago, on July 14, 1977, Parliament made it illegal for people in Canada to be discriminated against because of who they are, where they come from, and what they believe.
The Canadian Human Rights Commission welcomes the Government of Canada’s announcement yesterday and sees this as another important milestone for the rights of persons with disabilities in Canada. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is more than just a document — it is a set of obligations agreed to by Canada to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities.
Each year, on International Human Rights Day, Canada celebrates the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948—the first time in our world’s history that nations came together to document the most basic rights that are the birthright of all people, everywhere. “Yet the promises enshrined in the Declaration remain unfulfilled for far too many in the world, and far too many here in Canada as well,” said Chief Commissioner, Marie-Claude Landry.
Tomorrow, on November 28, the Canadian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada to argue on behalf of the people of Canada—that they be allowed to use the human rights system to fight discrimination when it results from a federal law.
Speaking Notes for Marie-Claude Landry, Ad. E., Chief Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission
This past weekend, in Montreal, Canadians from across the country came together to celebrate the significant strides towards improving the rights of the LGBTQ2I community.
Like all Canadians, everyone at the Canadian Human Rights Commission is grieving and grappling with the shocking attack on innocent pedestrians, men and women, in what appears to be in the name of misogyny.