Tag Archive: Human Rights Commission Series

Charity is not the right way to tackle poverty in British Columbia

Jan 28, 2015

The existence of poverty in British Columbia is a violation of human rights. There is not only a moral duty to eradicate poverty but also a legal obligation under international human rights law. Just before the holidays, December 10 was International Human Rights Day but we have little to celebrate here in BC. A human… View Article

Child care is a human right

Dec 11, 2014

By Lynell Anderson

By Lynell and Melanie Anderson Our understanding of rights evolves along with society, yet the required and corresponding evolution in government policy in BC is stagnant. Re-establishing the Human Rights Commission, as recommended in a new report, could change this reality. We’re passionate about women’s and children’s rights, and concerned about the rights of mothers… View Article

BC must provide education to foster discrimination-free workplaces and services

Dec 10, 2014

By Thérèse Boullard

Today, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Poverty and Human Rights Centre released a report on the need for a human rights commission in British Columbia. Yes. You read that right. British Columbia has no human rights commission. It is the only province in Canada without a publicly-funded independent agency that works to… View Article

The BC Human Rights Commission and Mental Health

By Marina Morrow

In BC the human rights of people experiencing mental illness are routinely violated through the use of Section 28 under the BC Mental Health Act which is implemented when a person is thought to be a danger to themselves or others. A recent Globe and Mail article indicated that these apprehensions in BC (frequently initiated… View Article

BC needs a Human Rights Commission – now

By Kathleen Ruff

Human rights are everyone’s business. The social climate we live in affects us all. When people are subjected to prejudice and discrimination because they are aboriginal or because of their gender or because of their sexual orientation or for some other reason, it creates a society that is more ugly, less safe and less human… View Article

BC’s workers need a human rights commission

By Devyn Cousineau

Let me explain BC’s strategy for addressing discrimination. First, we ask someone to experience it. Then we ask that person to understand a complex area of law, investigate the facts and engage in a legal proceeding against their employer / landlord / service provider to enforce their rights. We ask many people to do this… View Article

Preventing discrimination before it occurs

By Bill Black

The human rights process starts with the filing of a complaint of discrimination. In BC, the complaint is filed with the BC Human Rights Tribunal. Filing an effective complaint requires a good deal of time and effort. It can be hard to devote that time and effort if, for example, someone has been fired because… View Article

From discrimination against temporary foreign workers to sexual harassment, there’s no shortage of issues a human rights commission could tackle

By Gwen Brodsky and Shelagh Day

British Columbia is the only province in Canada that does not have a Human Rights Commission. That makes us the weakest province when it comes to fostering human rights awareness and preventing discrimination. Currently BC only has a Human Rights Tribunal, which mediates and adjudicates complaints about discrimination after it has occurred. The Tribunal does… View Article

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