New to British Columbia?

Know Your
Human Rights
A Guide for Newcomers to British Columbia
Find Out How Human Rights Laws Protect You
This project is made possible through funding from the
Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.
The BCHuman Rights Coalition
helped produce this brochure.
Are You New to British Columbia?
In British Columbia, your human rights
are protected.
We all have the right to live free
from discrimination. We all have the
responsibility to respect the human
rights of others.
Do you need help understanding your
human rights?
Read this guide for information about
discrimination and human rights, how
to le a human rights complaint and
where to get help with a complaint.
Federal Human Rights Law
This brochure is about B.C.s Human Rights Code. It
describes your rights under the provincial human
rights law. There is also a federal law that protects
you. It is the Canadian Human Rights Act.
The Canadian Human Rights Act
The Canadian Human Rights Act protects you
against discrimination by the federal government
and organizations that come under the control of
the federal government. These include:
federal Canadian government departments
and agencies (such as Canada Immigration);
banks;
TV and radio stations;
communication companies, including
telephone companies;
transportation companies, such as airlines.
If you have a complaint under the Canadian
human rights law, you can make a complaint to
the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
You can ask the BC Human Rights Clinic to explain
whether a human rights complaint comes under
the provincial law or the federal law.
Where Can I Find Out More?
This pamphlet gives you basic general information
only. It does not give legal advice. If you need legal
advice, you should contact a lawyer.
Here is where you can nd out more:
BC Human Rights Tribunal
1170605 Robson St.
Vancouver, B.C. V6B 5J3
Phone: 604 775-2000 (Vancouver)
Toll Free: 1-888-440-8844
TTY: 604 775-2021
www.bchrt.bc.ca
BC Human Rights Clinic
c/o BC Human Rights Coalition
1202510 West Hastings St.
Vancouver, B.C. V6B 1L8
Phone: 604 689-8474 (Vancouver)
Toll Free: 1-877-689-8474 (Elsewhere in B.C.)
Information is available in a variety of languages.
www.bchrcoalition.org
Ministry of Attorney General
Province of British Columbia
www.ag.gov.bc.ca/human-rights-protection
MultiLingoLegal.ca
Information about human rights in English, Arabic,
Chinese, French, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Spanish
and Vietnamese.
www.multilingolegal.ca
Where to Find a Service BC Oce Near You
Phone: 604 660-2421 (Vancouver)
Phone: 250 387-6121 (Victoria)
Phone: 1-800-663-7867 (Elsewhere in B.C.)
www.governmentagents.gov.bc.ca
Canadian Human Rights Commission
Phone: 604 666-2251 (Vancouver)
TTY: 1-888-643-3304
Regional oces: 1-800-999-6899
www.chrc-ccdp.ca
For more information and support for newcomers,
visit this website: www.WelcomeBC.ca
Canada has laws that protect your human rights. This
information is about British Columbias human rights
law, called the British Columbia (B.C.) Human Rights Code.
B.C.s Human Rights Code
Human rights laws protect you from discrimination.
Discrimination means treating someone dierently
because of their personal characteristics.
B.C.s Human Rights Code says no one can discriminate
against you because of your:
race or colour;
ancestry;
place of origin (where you come from);
marital status (being single, married, living
common-law, separated or divorced);
family status (includes children and other family
members);
physical or mental disability;
religion (having a religion or no religion);
sex (includes gender, pregnancy, breastfeeding and
sexual harassment) ;
sexual orientation (heterosexual, lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgendered);
age (19 years or older);
criminal conviction (in employment only);
political belief (in employment only); and or
lawful source of income (in housing only).
B.C.s Human Rights Code protects people from
discrimination in various areas. These include:
employment;
housing; and
use of services that are open to the public.
Employment
Human rights laws protect you from discrimination when
you are looking for work and when you are on the job.
Some Examples
B.C.s Human Rights Code says it is discrimination for an
employer to do things like:
refuse to hire you because of where you come from;
fre you because you are pregnant;
force you to retire because of your age;
harass you sexually (leer at you, grab you).
There may be jobs where the duties of the work or
safety issues mean employers can treat you dierently
when you apply for a job. For example, a driver must
have the eyesight needed to do the job safely.
Housing
Human rights laws protect you from discrimination when
you are looking for a place to rent or a place to buy.
Some Examples
B.C.s Human Rights Code says it is discrimination for a
landlord to do things like:
refuse to rent to you because of your race or colour
or where you come from;
evict you because you go on a disability pension.
It is not against the law to have housing for seniors only
or for people with disabilities only.
Landlords can choose who they rent to when you share
a kitchen, bathroom or bedroom with others.
Use of Services Open to the Public
Human rights laws protect you from discrimination
when you use a service that is open to the public.
In B.C., this includes services provided by stores, local buses
and taxis, restaurants, schools, hospitals, hotels, provincial
and municipal governments and municipal police.
Some Examples
B.C.s Human Rights Code says it is discrimination for a
service provider to do things like:
refuse to serve you because of your race or religion;
operate a store or business that is not accessible
to someone with a physical disability or that gives
them a dierent kind of service.
Employers, landlords and service providers must treat
everyone equally, unless they can show they have good
reasons not to. Good reasons may include health and
safety concerns or how much it will cost.
Does B.C.s Human Rights Code Apply to
Newcomers?
Yes. B.C.s Human Rights Code applies to everyone. It
does not matter where you come from. You may be
a citizen, a landed immigrant (permanent resident),
refugee, temporary worker, student or a tourist.
What Are My Responsibilities?
You must respect the human rights of other people
even if you do not approve of those rights.
Some Examples
Sam does not approve of gay couples. In B.C.,
gay couples have all the same human rights as
heterosexual couples. Sam cannot discriminate
against a couple because they are gay.
Anna does not approve of her employees religion.
The employee asks Anna for a day of to go to a
religious ceremony. Anna cannot just say no. Anna
must respect the employee and try her best to let
the employee attend the ceremony if possible.
What Can I Do if Someone Discriminates
Against Me?
If someone discriminates against you, you have the
right to make a complaint. The BC Human Rights
Tribunal deals with complaints under B.C.s Human
Rights Code.
When you fle a human rights complaint, the process
you go through is like a court process.
Who Will Help Me?
For help with a complaint, you can contact the BC
Human Rights Clinic. The clinic is funded by the B.C.
Ministry of Attorney General. The clinic can help you
decide if you have a human rights complaint and what
to do next. There is no charge for this service.
How Do I Make a Complaint?
If you have a human rights complaint under B.C.s
Human Rights Code, you can fle a complaint with the
BC Human Rights Tribunal.
To get a complaint form, contact the BC Human
Rights Tribunal or visit their website and download
the form (www.bchrt.bc.ca). You can also get a
complaint form from Service BC. (See the section,
Where Can I Find Out More?)
There is no fee to le a complaint with the tribunal.
The BC Human Rights Clinic can help you le a
complaint and can arrange for an interpreter if you
need one.
The clinic helps people ll out the complaint form.
When: Every Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
How: On a frst-come, frst-served basis.
Where: BC Human Rights Tribunal oces at: 1170 605
Robson St., Vancouver.
If you qualify for the clinics services, they may assist you
at all stages of your human rights complaint.