Ontario Human Rights Commission Issues Rare Clarification Of New Policy On Creed

In late 2015, after four years of consultation and research, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (the "Commission") published its Policy on Preventing Discrimination on the Basis of Creed. The new policy replaced the prior version, which had been published in 1996. Significantly, the new policy specifically affirmed that, in the Commission's view, the term "creed" included non-religious belief systems that "substantially influence a person's identity, worldview and way of life". Non-religious beliefs had been excluded from the protection of the Human Rights Code (the "Code") by the 1996 policy.

Although the new policy did not list veganism or vegetarianism as creeds and, in fact, explicitly avoided lists or categories of creeds, it did refer to food restrictions and vegetarian dietary requirements as areas requiring accommodation. Some media outlets pounced on the new language and announced that Ontario had recognized veganism as a human right. The story was picked