The Canadian Human Rights Act, initially enacted in 1977 and later amended in 1985 (and current to 2022), ensures equality of opportunity and prohibits discrimination on the following grounds: race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics, disability, and conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or in r
The Helsinki Final Act was signed on August 1st, 1975, by 35 nations including Canada, the United States, and every European country (aside from Albania).
The Act represents the concluding document of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), which started at Helsinki in 1973, continued in Geneva, and concluded back in Helsinki in 1975.
In December 1966, the international community realized the need for legal force to keep the promises to human rights made in 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which sparked the adoption of two international treated: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR),
On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly declared and adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR) with most members of the United Nations, including Canada, signing the Declaration.
The document is used as a tool for teaching, educating and promoting respect for rights and freedoms and serves as a "common standard of achievement for all people and all nations".