Some long identified human rights issues have been very slow to change. The discrimination faced by Aboriginal peoples continues, and is hugely damaging. Informing Aboriginal peoples about their human rights is a first step, while the OHRC builds relationships to exchange information and learn.
In the past year, the OHRC has:
- Delivered a one-day human rights training session for staff of the Union of Ontario Indians in North Bay
- Met with the Nipissing First Nation and later took part and delivered a presentation in a two-day educational workshop on the Nipissing First Nation reserve, hosted by the Union of Ontario Indians for its affiliates, in partnership with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. This session focused on preparing First Nations governing authorities for the repeal of section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act as well as an introduction to the Ontario Human Rights Code
- Presented at the Indigenous Bar Association annual conference in Ottawa
- Met with Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation in Thunder Bay.
As part of our ongoing relationship-building with Aboriginal peoples in Ontario, we are working with colleagues at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. We are exploring the ways that reconciliation and human rights intersect and how we can help eliminate barriers and discrimination that affect Aboriginal peoples.