Canadian Human Rights Commission closes Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax offices

The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) announced plans last month to close its regional offices in Toronto, Vancouver, and Halifax, a move some critics are calling an attack on the human rights system.

The CHRC is an independent federal agency that investigates and settles employment and service discrimination complaints in areas of federal jurisdiction, including banks, airlines, telecommunications, interprovincial travel, First Nations, and the federal government.

The closures, which will be phased in over the next six months, will leave the CHRC with three offices in Ottawa, Edmonton, and Montreal, and an additional office for First Nations outreach in Winnipeg.

The decision to close the federal offices does not affect the provincial Human Rights Commissions, which investigate discrimination in other matters.