Women's Substantive Inequality and the Protection of Social and Economic Rights under the Canadian Human Rights Act

This report raises the issue of whether Canada's system of human rights protection rests too exclusively on civil and political rights. The particular focus in this article is on protecting social and economic rights under the Canadian Human Rights Act. The authors propose including economic and social rights in the Canadian Human Rights Act and argue that this is essential in order for women to hold governments accountable for their lack of access to these rights. The inclusion of economic and social rights within legislation would provide necessary guidance to the courts to ensure consistency in these cases. The paper includes an extensive review of domestic jurisprudence on economic and social rights. [Descriptors: Social and Economic Rights, Canada]