Protecting Women’s Rights In Canada

Women’s rights are considered fundamental human rights, especially in Canada where historical disparities in treatment have been significant. Canada has various legal mechanisms in place to safeguard equality for women, including constitutional protections and legislation.

• The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a cornerstone of Canadian law, grants constitutional protection to individual human rights, primarily in interactions between individuals and the government.
• Additionally, the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) and provincial/territorial human rights laws cover equality concerns in relationships between individuals.
• Sections 15 and 28 of the Charter are particularly relevant to equality matters; Section 15 ensures equal protection under the law regardless of various characteristics including sex, while Section 28 affirms equality of rights between men and women.
• Court decisions have broadened the scope of prohibited discrimination beyond those explicitly listed in Section 15, encompassing factors such as citizenship, marital status, and sexual orientation.
• The Canadian Human Rights Act of 1977 explicitly guarantees equality, fair treatment, and freedom from discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, marital status, and family status.
• It applies to federal government entities, First Nations governments, and private companies regulated by the federal government, such as banks, broadcasters, and telecommunications firms.
• The Canadian Human Rights Commission, established by the CHRA, investigates and resolves complaints of discrimination, referring them to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for resolution if necessary.
• In addition to the CHRA, other legislative acts like the Employment Equity Act and the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act play significant roles in promoting women’s equality in employment and compensation.

Canada has the highest rate of women’s labor force participation in the world with 61.3% women. Half of the students who went to college are women. 75% of women who work for themselves love their job. Only around a quarter of women are in charge as managers or leaders. Canada is in 18th place globally for how many women are in parliament, with almost 30% of the seats in the House of Commons held by women in 2023.

Immigrant women had 11.6% of seats in the House of Commons, which is a bit more than Canadian-born women. In a recent study, 69 Canadian companies found that women make up about 45% of all new employees, but only 25% hold the position of vice president and 15% of CEOs. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), almost all adult women in Canada will be literate in 2022.