Province tables human rights commission legislation

Victoria, Nov. 1, 2018 — Government has introduced legislative amendments to the Human Rights Code that will re-establish a human rights commission for BC to promote and protect human rights for all British Columbians.

BC’s former commission was dismantled in 2002. It is currently the only province in Canada that does not have such a body. The proposed Human Rights Code Amendment Act, 2018 will create an independent human rights commissioner who reports to the legislative assembly. The commissioner will have the key functions of educating British Columbians on human rights, as well as examining and addressing issues of discrimination. The commissioner will have the mandate to develop educational tools, policies and guidelines to promote human rights and combat widespread patterns of inequality and discrimination in society.

Read more in the BC government press release here.