Our opinion on current issues
Racial profiling
In 2003, the Commission began receiving complaints about racial profiling. The Commission was among the first institutions in Québec to reflect upon and raise awareness about racial profiling as a form of discrimination.
Youth protection
Children are people, and they have a right to be heard. For over 40 years, the Commission has worked to protect and promote the rights of all young people in Québec, and especially the rights of the most vulnerable young people, like children in the care of youth protection services (DYP).
Service dogs and guide dogs
The courts have recognized that service dogs and guide dogs as a means of palliating a handicap. The first court decision in Québec which upheld the prohibition of discriminating against persons who use a guide dog dates back to 1982.
Freedom of expression
Freedom of expression includes the right to express controversial and disturbing opinions and to criticize ideas and values without fear of reprisal. It is one of the fundamental rights and freedoms protected by the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. While fundamental, freedom of expression is not absolute and does not take precedence over other rights guaranteed by the Charter.
Hiring and pre-hiring process
Discrimination in job interviews and in employment applications is prohibited, but it is still widespread in Québec. The Commission has published legal opinions concerning the principles all employers are subject to when hiring, and has also developed tools for employers and job seekers.
Religious neutrality of the State
Over the past 30 years, the Commission published several studies and opinions on discrimination based on religion, management of religious diversity as well as reasonable accommodation and religion. Based on its expertise, as well as its past legal opinions founded on Québec, Canadian and international law, the Commission has, among other things, analyzed and commented on Bill 21 on the secularism of the State as well as other previous bills that sought to frame the religious neutrality of the State and requests for religious accommodation.
Migrant workers
Since 2005, the Commission has addressed the plight of live-in caregivers and migrant farm workers in Québec.The Commission also works, since 2008, with the Comité interministériel permanent sur la protection des travailleurs étrangers temporaires peu specialisés and, since 2019, with the Table de concertation des travailleurs étrangers temporaires, chaired by AGRIcarrières.
Inclusive education
Students with disabilities face many barriers in accessing appropriate educational activities and services. The Commission has taken a position on this issue on several occasions, notably by proposing an organisational framework to promote learning and educational success for these students in primary and secondary levels. It has also documented the systemic obstacles they face and proposed several recommendations to the main stakeholders in the Québec school system.
Social profiling and homelessness
In 2005, the Commission established a committee on homelessness that included representatives from the City of Montréal and community organizations. This work led to the implementation of a number of initiatives designed to help the homeless, including the creation of the specialized legal aid clinic Droits Devant and l’Équipe de médiation urbaine.
COVID-19
Here is some information on your rights in the context of the crisis related to COVID-19. Please note that most of the content of this section is only available in French for the moment.
For more information on the situation in Québec and the measures taken by the government, visit: quebec.ca/coronavirus.
For more information on our services in the current context, see: Temporary modifications to our services.