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ARTICLE · 19 OCTOBER 2017

New Prohibited Grounds Of Discrimination May Be Added To Ontario's Human Rights Code

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The Human Rights Code Amendment Act, 2017 ("Bill 164") was introduced to the Ontario Legislature and passed First Reading on October 4, 2017.

CanadaGovernment, Public Sector
Pamela Hinman
Pamela Hinman
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The Human Rights Code Amendment Act, 2017 ("Bill 164") was introduced to the Ontario Legislature and passed First Reading on October 4, 2017.  Bill 164 proposes to add four new prohibited grounds of discrimination to Ontario's Human Rights Code:

  1. Immigration status: Bill 164 defines this as "the status according to Canadian immigration law".
  2. Genetic characteristics: Bill 164 specifies that the right to equal treatment because of genetic characteristics includes the right to equal treatment without discrimination because a person refuses to undergo a genetic test or refuses to disclose, or authorize the disclosure of, the results of a genetic test. If Bill 164 passes into law, Ontario would be the second jurisdiction to prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic characteristics; earlier this year, the Canadian Human Rights Act was amended to include genetic characteristics as a prohibited ground.

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