Today we celebrate the start of Black History Month. It is a month to honour the legacy of Black Canadians and celebrate their contributions to building the Canada we share today.

Speaking Notes of Marie-Claude Landry, Ad. E., Chief Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission

The events of the past year have shone a powerful light on the need for all Canadians to reflect on how white privilege, deeply embedded systemic racism, and unchecked racial biases continue to exist in Canada, and contribute to injustice and inequality.

The death of Joyce Echaquan, an Atikamekw woman who live streamed the racist slurs, neglect and abuse she suffered while in the care of staff at the Joliette hospital, is a tragic example of the racism and intolerance Indigenous peoples continue to face in Canada.

We live in a time of turmoil and uncertainty. But, amidst the challenge, we have a great opportunity to rebuild the economy, strengthen businesses and promote worker well-being using tools that have been proven to work. Closing the gender wage gap is one of those tools.

Today marks the first time that countries around the world are recognizing International Equal Pay Day.

With Canada now months into the COVID-19 pandemic, people with disabilities, their families and caregivers are still bearing a disproportionate impact of this unprecedented crisis. More must be done to protect the rights of people with disabilities and to ensure that safety protocols designed to protect public health are not putting people with disabilities at risk.

“Today is a victory for the human rights and privacy of all Canadians. The Canadian Human Rights Commission applauds today’s Supreme Court of Canada decision affirming the constitutionality of the 2017 Genetic Non-Discrimination Act. This means that discrimination against a person because of their genetic makeup remains illegal across the country, and that people in Canada do not have to live in fear of how their genetic information could one day be used against them.