International Human Rights (Human Rights)

Canadian Human Rights Act

taylor — Wed, 15 May 2024 16:56:24 +0000

Canadian Human Rights Act taylor Wed, 05/15/2024 - 13:56

Canadian Human Rights Act

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 respect of which a record suspension has been ordered.
Through the Canadian Human Rights Act, two human rights bodies were created: the Canadian Human Rights Commission (found in Part II of the Act) and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (found in Part III 48.1).
Both bodies are able to make decisions that can be appealed to the Federal Court of Canada.
The Canadian Human Rights Act different from the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is that it only covers equality rights rather than a broad range of rights.
The Act also only governs federal jurisdictions, which means it protects any person employed or who receive services from the federal government, First Nations governments, or private companies that are federally regulated (ex. banks, truck companies, broadcasters, and telecommunication companies).
Every province/territory has its own human rights legislation that covers local institutions within the province or territory such as schools or hospitals.
The 1977 legislation prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, religion, and national origin and included more progressive rights (at its time) including sex (including sexual harassment and pregnancy), ethnic origin, age, marital status, physical disability, and pardoned conviction.
Over the years, the Act has been amended to include protection of the right to sexual orientation (1996) and gender identity/expression (2017).
This act was, in many ways, the product of decades of human rights legal reform at the provincial level with many provinces quickly adopting their own human rights laws (largely based on the original Ontario model).

Citation

Canadian Human Rights Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. H-6. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/h-6/fulltext.html

Further Readings

For more background on the Canadian Human Rights Act: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-human-rights-act#:~:text=With%20the%20Racial%20Discrimination%20Act,the%20Saskatchewan%20Bill%20of%20Rights

Overlapping Topics

Federal Government Affairs

Policy Sub-Topic

International Human Rights (Human Rights)

Policy Type

International Document

Culture, history and sport: Human rights treaties

taylor — Wed, 15 May 2024 16:53:15 +0000

Culture, history and sport: Human rights treaties taylor Wed, 05/15/2024 - 13:53

Culture, history and sport: Human rights treaties

Ever since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations has continued to evolved its human rights legislation.
Canada has ratified or signed several of the core human rights treaties overseen by the United Nations, which keeps Canada accountable to the United Nations and to other member states on their commitment to upholding human rights.
This publication identifies the covenants and conventions acceded or ratified by Canada over the years, including: the International Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination (acceded in 1970), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (acceded in 1976), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ratified in 1976), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (ratified in 1981), the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (ratified in 1987), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (ratified in 1991), and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (ratified in 2010).
As part of Canada's involvement in these conventions and covenants, Canada must submit reports on how it implements these treaties.
This publication also includes the long list of multilateral human rights treaties that Canada is part of.

Citation

Canada. Culture, history and sport. Human rights treaties. Modified January 15, 2019. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/canada-united-nations-system/treaties.html

Further Readings

For the reports made on the United Nations human rights treaties: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/canada-united-nations-system/reports-united-nations-treaties.html & https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/canada-united-nations-system/canada-performance-reporting-united-nations.html
For more information on how Canada participates in the United Nations human rights system: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/canada-united-nations-system/about.html

Overlapping Topics

Federal Government Affairs

Policy Sub-Topic

International Human Rights (Human Rights)

Policy Type

International Document

Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE): Final Act of Helsinki

taylor — Wed, 15 May 2024 16:43:46 +0000

Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE): Final Act of Helsinki taylor Wed, 05/15/2024 - 13:43

Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE): Final Act of Helsinki

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.
Canada participated in the negotiations that led up to the Helsinki Accords with the Society Union
The Helsinki Accords were a vital part of the foreign policy element of Canada's rights revolution, which, among several things, committed the signatories to a set of human rights principles.
These international commitments provided an opportunity for parliamentarians to engage in foreign affairs that related to human rights by drawing upon the language within the Accords to introduce resolutions dealing with issues like family reunification, free movement of people, and religious freedoms (among other things) into Parliament.
These accords, alongside other international conferences on human rights issues, gave Members of Parliament valuable expertise to bring human rights knowledge into Parliament and to pressure the federal government into further instilling human rights into foreign policy decisions.

Citation

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE): Final Act of Helsinki, August 1, 1975. https://www.refworld.org/docid/3dde4f9b4.html

Further Readings

For more background on the Helsinki Accords: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1969-1976/helsinki & http://www.revparl.ca/english/issue.asp?param=95&art=386 & https://historyofrights.ca/history/human-rights-in-foreign-policy/2/ & https://humanrightscommitments.ca/helsinki-final-act-2/

Overlapping Topics

Federal Government Affairs

Policy Sub-Topic

International Human Rights (Human Rights)

Policy Type

International Document

International Bill of Human Rights

taylor — Wed, 15 May 2024 16:41:04 +0000

International Bill of Human Rights taylor Wed, 05/15/2024 - 13:41

International Bill of Human Rights

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), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The ICESR and the ICCPR protects different, but complementary rights at the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural level (the details of these rights can be found in the policy).
These two Covenants, along with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights combine to form what is known as the International Bill of Human Rights.
Canada acceded to both of these covenants by 1976, gaining unanimous consent of consent of the provinces.
These Covenants bind Canada to international law, which if Canada fails to meet these obligations, citizens of Canada can file a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee.

Citation

United Nations. "International Bill of Human Rights." United Nations Human Rights. Office of the High Commissioner. Accessed August 2, 2022. https://www.ohchr.org/en/what-are-human-rights/international-bill-human-rights

Further Readings

For the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-economic-social-and-cultural-rights
For the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights
For the history of the International Bill of Rights: https://cwp-csp.ca/poverty/human-rights-violation/international-human-rights-instruments/

Overlapping Topics

Federal Government Affairs

Policy Sub-Topic

International Human Rights (Human Rights)

Policy Type

International Document

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

taylor — Wed, 15 May 2024 16:37:33 +0000

Universal Declaration of Human Rights taylor Wed, 05/15/2024 - 13:37

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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".
Following the devastation of the Second World War, countries around the world came together to express their support for and belief in human rights.
John Humphrey, a Canadian lawyer and human rights advocate, was instrumental in drafting the UDHR as the director of the United Nations' Human Rights Division.
Mr. Humphrey and his team worked closely with Eleanor Roosevelt, who acted as the United States representative to the UN's Commission on Human Rights, for over two years to create one of the modern world's greatest documents.
The UNDHR had an influential role in developing human rights law in Canada including the Canadian Bill of Rights (1960) and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), and the Declaration was used as a model for provincial human rights legislation.

Citation

UN General Assembly. "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." 217 (III) A. Paris, 1948. https://www.ohchr.org/en/resources/educators/human-rights-education-training/universal-declaration-human-rights-1948 (accessed August 2, 2022).

Further Readings

For the most recent accessible UDHR: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

For more information on Canada and the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: https://www.canlii.org/en/commentary/doc/1998CanLIIDocs40#!fragment/zoupio-_Toc2Page1-Page10/BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWszIQewE4BUBTADwBdoAvbRABwEtsBaAfX2zgCYAFMAc0ICMjHvwEAGAJQAaZNlKEIARUSFcAT2gByTVIiEwuBMtUbtu-YZABlPKQBCGgEoBRADLOAagEEAcgGFnKVIwACNoUnYJCSA

For more information on the Declaration: https://humanrights.ca/story/the-universal-declaration-of-human-rights

For more information on John Humphrey's involvement in the UDHR: https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2015/12/10/history-dec-101948-canadas-lead-in-the-universal-declaration-of-human-rights/

Overlapping Topics

Federal Government Affairs

Policy Sub-Topic

International Human Rights (Human Rights)

Policy Type

International Document