Anti-Black Racism at Canadian Human Rights Commission Under Intl Review

A coalition of human rights organizations led by the Black Class Action Secretariat hold a news conference in Ottawa to discuss a UN body’s “special review” of the accreditation status of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC).

In February, the coalition asked the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions – a UN organization that accredits human rights groups – to conduct the review, claiming the CHRC discriminates against its own employees. A subcommittee on accreditation has concluded there is sufficient evidence to place Canada under special review due to findings of systemic anti-Black discrimination at the CHRC.

Speaking with reporters are Nicholas Marcus Thompson (chief executive officer of the Black Class Action Secretariat), Nathan Prier (president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees) and Bernadeth Betchi (CHRC employee and one of the representative plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the federal government by current and former Black civil servants). (June 10, 2024) (no interpretation)