Press Conference: Canadian Human Rights Commission Faces Downgrade Due to Anti-Black Discrimination
In a landmark decision, the international body that hands out human rights accreditations has concluded that there is enough basis to review Canada’s “A” status – an unprecedented move that puts it among the ranks of countries like Russia, Iraq, and Venezuela.
The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) — a United Nations body — has launched a “Special Review” of the accreditation of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC). This comes as the result of a complaint by a coalition of Canadian human rights organizations, which submitted federal findings of anti-Black discrimination at the Canadian Human Rights Commission as evidence.
If the international body finds there are grounds to downgrade the CHRC to “B” status, for the first time ever, it will no longer have independent participation rights at the UN Human Rights Council, its subsidiary bodies and some General Assembly bodies and mechanisms. Further, it will lose the right to vote and hold governance positions at GANHRI.
Speakers:
Nicholas Marcus Thompson - Black Class Action Secretariat; Bernadeth Betchi - CHRC Employee and Nathan Prier - Canadian Association of Professional Employees
