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The movement for women's suffrage achieved initial success in 1916, when Manitoba became the first province to grant women the right to vote in provincial elections, followed by Alberta and Saskatchewan. Full federal suffrage was granted in 1918, but racial and status exclusions remained for sian and Indigenous women and men until 1948 and 1960, respectively. The gradual achievement of the franchise was a crucial step toward recognizing women as full legal persons and equal citizens in Canada. -
The Persons Case was a landmark 1929 ruling by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council that determined women were legally "persons" under the British North America Act. This decision, championed by the Famous Five, overturned the Supreme Court of Canada's interpretation which had barred women from the Senate. This victory established a vital precedent for gender equality, opening up Canadian public offices to women. -
The 1951 revision of the Indian Act shifted federal policy from assimilation to integration. It removed oppressive bans on traditional ceremonies (like the potlatch and sundance) and the prohibition on First Nations people hiring lawyers. While significant for ending some overt oppression, the Act maintained extensive federal control over the lives and lands of Status Indians, ultimately failing to grant unconditional rights or self-determination. -
Prior to 1960, First Nations people registered under the Indian Act could only vote federally by giving up their Indian Status (enfranchisement) in an effort to assimilate them. Following decades of advocacy, the federal government amended the Canada Elections Act to grant unconditional voting rights to all registered Indians, without requiring them to forfeit their Status. This marked a significant, though long-delayed, recognition of the political rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada. -
Introduced by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in 1960, the Canadian Bill of Rights was the first federal law to set out fundamental rights (including life, liberty, security, and equality before the law) for Canadians. As a federal statute, it only applied to federal matters and was considered weak because Parliament could easily amend or bypass it. Despite its limitations, it established a crucial legal precedent and served as a precursor to the later Charter of Rights and Freedoms. -
The Ontario Human Rights Code, enacted in 1962, consolidated all previous anti-discrimination laws into one powerful provincial statute. It bans discrimination and harassment in five key areas (employment, housing, goods/services, contracts, and vocational groups). The Code is administered by the Ontario Human Rights Commission and is quasi-constitutional, meaning it takes precedence over most other provincial laws, offering strong protections for residents. -
The 1967 immigration regulations introduced the points system, which effectively ended Canada’s decades-long policy of racially discriminatory immigration by assessing applicants on factors like education, skills, and job prospects rather than country of origin. This shift fundamentally transformed Canadian immigration, leading to a much more diverse, multicultural society. Its significance is that it moved Canada toward a less restrictive, needs-based immigration policy. -
The Official Languages Act was enacted to fulfill a key recommendation of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism and establish English and French as the official languages of Canada. The law guarantees that all Canadians have the right to receive services from federal institutions and that Parliament's proceedings and federal laws must be available in both languages. Its significance lies in establishing the government's commitment to bilingualism and promoting language equality. -
In 1967 and reporting in 1970, this Royal Commission was tasked with inquiring into the status of women in Canadian society and recommending steps to ensure equal opportunities. Its comprehensive report made 167 recommendations covering employment, poverty, childcare, family law, and access to decision-making roles. The Commission's findings galvanized the women's movement and provided a roadmap for subsequent legislative reforms, including the establishment of the Status of Women Canada agency. -
Passed to ensure equal opportunity and protect individuals from discrimination and harassment in areas of federal jurisdiction, such as federal government departments, Crown corporations, banks, and interprovincial transport. Canadian Human Rights Commission investigated complaints and the Tribunal to hear and decide cases. This Act was a major legislative step in combatting discrimination on grounds like race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, and disability at a federal level. -
The supreme law of Canada, the Charter was entrenched in the Constitution in 1982 as part of the patriation of the Constitution. It guarantees fundamental freedoms, democratic rights, mobility rights, legal rights, and equality rights. Unlike the earlier Bill of Rights, the Charter applies to all government action (federal, provincial) and allows the judiciary to strike down unconstitutional laws, though it is subject to the limitations clause (Section 1) and the notwithstanding clause. -
The Supreme Court of Canada considered whether the federal Lord’s Day Act, which businesses closed on Sunday for religion, violated the Charter's guarantee of freedom of conscience and religion. The Court ruled that the Lord’s Day Act was unconstitutional because its original purpose was to compel religious observance, violating freedom of religion. This was a landmark case in establishing the scope of religious freedom and the unconstitutionality of laws whose purpose is religious coercion. -
A landmark Supreme Court of Canada case that establish the Oakes test. This test is the legal standard used under the Charter to determine if a legislative limit on a Charter right is a reasonable limit... demonstrably justifiable in a free and democratic society." The Court used the test to strike down a provision of the Narcotic Control Act as an unjustified infringement on the right to be presumed innocent, solidifying the Oakes test as a mechanism for justifying Charter rights infringements. -
Employment Equity Act requires federally regulated employers to actively eliminate barriers and implement policies to ensure full workplace representation of four designated groups: women, Aboriginal people, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities. Designed to address systemic discrimination the Act promotes equality in hiring and promotion. The legislation was significantly revised in 1995 to strengthen its implementation and hold employers accountable for achieving equity. -
R. v. Morgentaler (1988) is a pivotal Supreme Court case that struck down the Criminal Code's abortion laws. The Court ruled that requiring hospital committee approval violated a woman’s Section 7 Charter right to security of the person, as the process was inconsistent, caused delays, and risked health. This ruling effectively decriminalized abortion, marking a critical moment for reproductive rights in Canada. -
In this case, the Supreme Court of Canada clarified the nature and scope of Aboriginal title under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. The Court confirmed that Aboriginal title is a right to the land itself not just the right to hunt, fish, and gather and can be proven by demonstrating prior occupation before British sovereignty. Further, the Court established that the government's infringement on Aboriginal title must be justified and requires a duty to consult with the Indigenous group. -
Vriend v. Alberta. A landmark Supreme Court case where the Court ruled that excluding sexual orientation from Albertas human rights legislation violated the equality rights guaranteed in the Charter. The case stemmed from Delwin Vriend being fired for being gay. The Court addressed this omission by using the remedy of reading in the protected ground to the provincial statute. This decision was a critical affirmation that the Charter protects LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination across Canada. -
R. v. Marshall (1999) is a landmark Supreme Court case affirming the Mi'kmaq treaty right to fish for a "moderate livelihood" based on the 1760/1761 Peace and Friendship Treaties. The Court ruled these treaties guaranteed the right to earn a livelihood, meaning the federal government could not ignore Indigenous fishing rights in Atlantic Canada. -
Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage nationally with the Civil Marriage Act in 2005. The federal legislation was passed following a series of provincial court decisions, affirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada, that found denying marriage to same-sex couples was a violation of equality rights under the Charter. This achievement represented a culmination of decades of advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, establishing full marriage equality across the country. -
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement to document the painful history and lasting impacts of the Canadian residential school system on Indigenous peoples. The TRC's core purpose was to share this truth and its legacy with all Canadians. Completing its work in 2015, the TRC released 94 Calls to Action urging all government and society to take steps toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.