Indigenous People and Human Rights

Indigenous People and Human Rights

Last year, BC Friendship Centres partnered with the Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS) BC Human Rights Clinic to increase knowledge of human rights for Indigenous peoples and the services available to Indigenous peoples living in BC to support and uphold their human rights.

The BC Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination in three main areas of daily life: workplaces, tenancies, and access to services (e.g., stores, gyms, hospitals, schools). We can use the BC Human Rights Code to hold people, businesses, and other organizations accountable for discrimination.

Learn more by watching the animated video—Discrimination and Human Rights: Information for Indigenous People Part 1.

The BC Human Rights Tribunal is like the court that hears human rights complaints and makes legal judgements and decisions.

The second video has more information on human rights: Discrimination and Human Rights: Information for Indigenous People Part 2.

When you make a case of discrimination to the BC Human Rights Tribunal and they decide you have proven your claim, they can order compensation from the person or organization who discriminated (called the respondent).

Depending on the circumstances, you may be entitled to lost wages, expenses, or compensation for injury to dignity—meant to compensate people for the emotional impact that discrimination can have.

Check out the third video: Discrimination and Human Rights: Information for Indigenous People Part 3.

Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples

The short film, Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples, was produced in addition to the three-part animated video series. In the film, Indigenous peoples share their experience of making a human rights complaint and working through the process.

“I think that we need to put some of these cases before the courts and make them publicly known so that people will know where the line is—so that Indigenous people will know that they have this resource, and so that non-Indigenous people who are serving us will know when they’re crossing the line.”
– BCAAFC Executive Director

Print Resources

The supporting print resources developed provide information specific to the following human rights.

• We have the right not to be judged by the colour of our skin
• We have the right to discrimination-free housing
• We have the right to discrimination-free health care
• We have the right to have our disabilities accommodated at work
• We have the right to a harassment-free workplace

A PDF of the posters can be downloaded here: Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights Posters.

Education is a vital part of achieving justice in human rights. Please share the digital, print and video resources within your networks and communities to help support and uphold human rights for Indigenous peoples.

Thank you to the team at CLAS BC Human Rights Clinic for developing and delivering these educational resources, the Law Foundation of British Columbia for funding to support this project, to the participants who shared their experiences to help empower others, and to our partners for amplifying this work.