Why this letter matters
This letter protests the fact that the Government of Canada’s Guide on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Terminology entirely mischaracterizes the right to equality protected by the Canadian Charter, human rights legislation and international law. It defines equality as treating everyone in the same manner without considering people's unique experiences and differing situations, contrasting equality with equity, which considers people’s differing circumstances and aims to achieve fair outcomes. In fact, substantive equality is the animating norm in Canadian law and has long required attention to disadvantage, adverse effects, accommodation of difference and systemic discrimination.
The letter asks the Minister of Justice to have the Guide immediately removed and replaced with a Guide on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion developed with equality rights experts and representatives of equality-seeking groups. It also calls for the government to return to the language of “equality-seeking groups” rather than “equity-seeking, equity-denied or equity-deserving” groups.
Read the letter
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