History of equality law in Canada

What is the history of inequality in Canada in relation to Indigenous peoples?

Canada has a history and present of colonization involving the subjugation and assimilation of Indigenous peoples.

What happened following Confederation in 1867 that contributed to inequality for Indigenous peoples?

Following Confederation in 1867, the Indian Act was introduced, contributing to the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples.

When were white women allowed to vote in Canada?

White women were allowed to vote in Canada in 1918.

When were Japanese Canadian women allowed to vote in Canada?

Japanese Canadian women were allowed to vote in Canada in 1947.

When were Chinese Canadian women allowed to vote in Canada?

Chinese Canadian women were allowed to vote in Canada in 1947.

When were Indigenous peoples allowed to vote in Canada?

Indigenous peoples were allowed to vote in Canada in 1960.

How were people with disabilities discriminated against in 20th-century Canada?

Laws and practices discriminated against people with disabilities, including practices such as involuntary sterilization.

When were legislative protections on equality and non-discrimination first introduced in Canada?

There were no legislative protections on equality or non-discrimination in Canada until the 1940s.

What major international human rights development occurred after World War II?

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was established in 1948.

What does Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights state?

Article 1 states that “all human beings are equal in dignity and human rights.”

Which province passed the first Bill of Rights in Canada?

Saskatchewan passed the first Bill of Rights in Canada in 1947.

When did the Canadian Parliament pass the Canadian Bill of Rights?

The Canadian Parliament passed the Canadian Bill of Rights in 1960.

What did the Canadian Bill of Rights include?

The Canadian Bill of Rights included equal protection.

When did Canada's Parliament pass the Canadian Human Rights Act?

Canada's Parliament passed the Canadian Human Rights Act in 1977.

What does the Canadian Human Rights Act protect against?

The Canadian Human Rights Act protects against discrimination.

When did the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms come into force?

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into force in 1982.

What major changes occurred in the understanding of equality and discrimination by the 1980s?

There was a shift from viewing discrimination mainly as individual, isolated incidents toward understanding discrimination as systemic, embedded in institutions, policies, practices, and overlapping inequalities.

How did the understanding of discrimination shift from an individual problem to a systemic problem?

The focus shifted from discrimination as an individual problem involving exceptional and discrete incidents to understanding discrimination as asymmetric and embedded in a complex interplay of institutional relations, practices, and policies.

What does it mean to understand discrimination as “asymmetric”?

It means recognizing that discrimination can affect different groups differently and can be embedded within broader institutional relationships, practices, and policies.

What was the shift concerning discriminatory attitudes of individual perpetrators?

The focus shifted away from discriminatory attitudes of individual perpetrators toward the experiential effects of inequality and exclusion.

What does a focus on the “experiential effects of inequality and exclusion” mean?

It focuses on how inequality and exclusion are actually experienced by individuals and groups rather than primarily examining the attitudes or intentions of individual perpetrators.

How did the understanding of discrimination as differential treatment change?

It shifted toward acknowledging adverse effects discrimination resulting from the different effects of apparently neutral policies and similar treatment.

What is adverse effects discrimination in the context of the shift in equality law?

Adverse effects discrimination occurs when apparently neutral policies or similar treatment have different and discriminatory effects on particular individuals or groups.

What was the shift concerning remedies for discrimination?

The focus shifted from individual remedies and accommodation toward systemic remedies and institutional transformation.

What are systemic remedies?

Systemic remedies address discrimination within broader institutions, policies, practices, and structures rather than only providing a remedy to one individual.

What does institutional transformation mean in the context of equality law?

It means changing institutional structures, policies, and practices that contribute to inequality or discrimination.

How did the understanding of social groups change by the 1980s?

The understanding shifted from viewing social groups as distinct and homogeneous toward recognizing overlapping inequalities linked to complex, intersecting, and multiple identities.

What does recognition of overlapping inequalities mean?

It recognizes that people can experience inequality through multiple, overlapping, and intersecting identities rather than belonging to only one distinct social group.

What source is associated with the changes in the understanding of equality and discrimination?

Sheppard (2010:18).

What was the first Human Rights Act introduced in Alberta?

Alberta introduced its first Human Rights Act in 1966.

What happened to Alberta's first Human Rights Act?

It was replaced by the Individual’s Rights Protection Act in 1972.

What was the Individual’s Rights Protection Act?

It was legislation introduced in Alberta in 1972 that replaced Alberta's first Human Rights Act and formed part of the development toward the current Alberta Human Rights Act.

What legislation currently governs human rights in Alberta according to the lecture?

The Alberta Human Rights Act 2000.

How did Alberta's earlier human rights frameworks contribute to current legislation?

The earlier frameworks, including the 1966 Human Rights Act and the 1972 Individual’s Rights Protection Act, built the way for the current Alberta Human Rights Act 2000.

When was the current Alberta Human Rights Act introduced?

The Alberta Human Rights Act was introduced in 2000.

What does the Alberta Human Rights Act 2000 apply to?

It applies to the actions of the provincial government and the private sector within Alberta.

What levels of government or sectors are covered by the Alberta Human Rights Act 2000 according to the lecture?

The legislation applies to the provincial government and the private sector within the province.