Racial Discrimination Act 1944
- In the Spring of 1944, the province of Ontario passed the first legislation in Canada that was entirely focused on anti-discrimination.
- Ontario's 1944 Racial Discrimination Act prohibited any signs, symbols, publications, or any other representation of discrimination based on race or religion.
- While the Racial Discrimination Act was a more progressive policy at its time, it did not address the issues of racial/religious discriminatory housing and employment practices.
- This legislation was a catalyst to other historic human rights efforts in Canada such as the Saskatchewan Bill of Rights (1947) and the Canadian Bill of Rights (1960) and was the predecessor to the Ontario Human Rights Code (1962).
Citation
Racial Discrimination Act, Stat. Ontario 1944, c. 51. https://historyofrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/statutes/ON_Racial.pdf
Further Readings
For an alternative format of the Racial Discrimination Act: https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3998&context=rso
For more information and background on the 1944 Racial Discrimination Act in Ontario: https://www.tvo.org/article/a-necessity-for-the-well-being-and-progress-of-society-ontarios-racial-discrimination-act-turns-75
Overlapping Topics
Provincial/Territorial Government Affairs
Policy Sub-Topic
Policy Type
Provincial Statute