Human Rights Documents

Know Your Rights

Every person is born equal. We are all human beings and we all have the same human rights.

Human rights are values, principles and beliefs that form the foundation of society, community and systems that ensure that all people are treated equally.

Human rights belong to all people, all the time, in all places – it does not matter where you live, the colour of your skin, your race or ethnicity, your abilities, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or if you are a citizen, immigrant, temporary resident or visitor.

All human rights are equally important and are not a privilege that one can take away. Human rights are not a reward for good behaviour, we all have them simply by being born.

Your rights are protected at the provincial, national and international levels:

• BC Human Rights Code
• BC Human Rights Tribunal
• BC Office of the Human Rights Commissioner
• Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• Canadian Human Rights Commission
• International Decade for People of African Descent: Implementation
• Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Statistics Canada: Police-Reported hate crime in Canada, 2018
• Statistics Canada: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians: Data Collection Series
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights