International complaint alleging racism filed against Canadian human rights body
OTTAWA — A coalition of federal unions and organizations representing Black workers has filed an international complaint against the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
The eight organizations say the body that handles humanrights complaints against the federal government is violating global law because of its treatment of Black employees.
“The Canadian Human Rights Commission, which should be at the forefront of promoting and protecting human rights, advocating for change as Canada’s human-rights protector, has itself been discriminatory,” said Nicholas Marcus Thompson, executive director of the Black Class Action Secretariat.
“Today, we demand accountability.”
The groups are requesting that the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions review the commission’s accreditation.
They say their effort underlines the urgent need for reform. The alliance is headquartered in Geneva and works closely with the United Nations.
A December Senate report on anti-Black racism in the commission found a “crisis of confidence” in the body and questioned its ability to respond to human-rights complaints in a “fair and equitable manner.”
The study was prompted by grievances against the commission about its treatment of Black and racialized employees.
Senators found some employees were harmed by their employer, and the report noted that workplace discrimination can have significant and lasting effects.
“It is never acceptable, yet it is a daily fact of life for many Black and racialized people in Canada,” the report said.
Thompson said the coalition, which represents some 700,000 employees, is relying on the commission to “play a role in the right to dismantle systemic discrimination, not to be the perpetrator in all of this.”
The commission said in a statement Monday it is in the process of reviewing the coalition’s complaint, but noted it underwent a periodic reaccreditation of its status last year.
It was found to be in “full compliance,” based on a “comprehensive review of all of the commission’s work in promoting human rights between 2016 and 2022,” the statement said.
“We are confident that we continue to operate in full compliance and look forward to providing GANHRI with all the information it requires.”
The coalition seeking a review of the commission’s status includes Thompson’s organization, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the National Union of Public and General Employees, the Canadian Black Nurses Alliance, the Red Coalition, the Federation of Black Canadians and the Black Canadians Civil Society Coalition.