Human Rights Commissions across Canada
A human rights commission is a body that is set up to promote or protect human rights. There is a federal human rights commission and almost every Canadian province or territory has a human rights commission, except British Columbia and Nunavut. Each commission is unique. For example, they may have different levels of independence, varying budget size and unique core functions.
Functions of a commission may include:
- Educating the public on human rights;
- Raising awareness about human rights law and obligations;
- Hosting websites and other online information and services to resolve a complaint;
- Developing guidelines or policies to help service providers, landlords, employers, and others to understand their rights and responsibilities;
- Initiating complaints that affect a group of people (known as systemic complaints) and helping to resolve these complaints; and
- Acting as a ‘gatekeeper to the tribunal’ which means that they investigate complaints before they can be filed with a tribunal.
To find out more about commissions across Canada and their specific functions, visit their websites at the links below:
Alberta Human Rights Commission
British Columbia – no Human Rights Commission
Manitoba Human Rights Commission
New Brunswick Human Rights Commission
Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission
Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission
Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
Nunavut – no Human Rights Commission
Ontario Human Rights Commission
Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission
(Québec) Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse
Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission