Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories have a Human Rights Act and the Northwest Territories Human Rights Adjudication Panel, as well as, the Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission, whose cases can be found here.

Grounds of Discrimination Recognized: race, colour, ancestry, nationality, ethnic origin, place of origin, creed, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, family status, family affiliation, political belief, political association or social condition and criminal record that is subject to a pardon or record suspension.

Areas of Application: Employment, including looking for work, Membership in a Professional Organization, Workers’ Association, or Trade Union, Access to Public Services,such as healthcare and education, and to Facilities, such as stores and restaurants, Tenancy, which is renting a home or apartment, or leasing a business space, Published Material such as newspapers, magazines, signs, or advertising.

Procedure: The stages of the complaint process are: Inquiry, Filing a complaint, Responding to a complaint, Mediation, Assessment, Director’s decision and then a Hearing. The decision to dismiss an application can be made at a variety of these stages, such as Filing a Complaint, Assessment, or Director’s Decision.

How to Begin a Complaint: A human rights officer will meet or speak with prospective complainants to discuss the facts of their complaint. If a complainant decides to proceed, they will fill out a complaint form, which a Human Rights Officer can assist them with. The procedure is outlined in more detail on the Commission page here.

Limitation Periods: A complaint must be filed within two years after the contravention of this Act, or if a continuing contravention is alleged in the complaint, within two years after the last alleged instance.

Remedies: The human rights adjudicator can order a party to cease the contravention complained of, order a party to refrain from committing the same or any similar contravention, compensate a party for all or any part of any wages or income lost or expenses incurred as a result of the human rights contravention, or to compensate the party for injury to dignity, feelings, and self-respect.

This content has been updated on 23 February 2023 at 11 h 28 min.