Overview

Resolving Disputes

Dispute Resolution

The Commission offers dispute resolution services to Canadian citizens, permanent residents or persons who are legally present in Canada who believe they have been discriminated against by a federally regulated organization. Allegations of discrimination are usually brought to the Commission’s attention by the person who has suffered from the discrimination but, in certain cases, the matter may be raised by a third party, such as a relative or a collective bargaining agent. In general, the Commission only deals with events that have occurred within the last year.

The Commission addresses discriminatory practices:

• under the Canadian Human Rights Act;
• by federally regulated organizations;
• based on at least one of the eleven prohibited grounds in the Act.

The dispute resolution process consists of a series of steps or stages, beginning with the first contact with the Commission and ending, in some cases, with the referral of a complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. The Commission’s objective is to help parties resolve disputes as quickly as possible, bearing in mind the public interest. For this reason, allegations of discrimination will not necessarily move through all of the stages in the process. Many disputes can be resolved early on, without requiring investigation or referral to the Tribunal.