News Analysis
Human rights tribunals began emerging across Canada in the 1960s and 1970s with the stated goal of providing a quicker, more accessible way to resolve discrimination complaints outside the regular court system.
Since then, these quasi-judicial bodies have grown markedly, both in the scope and types of complaints they handle. At the same time, the penalties imposed in some cases have increased significantly.
Recent cases have drawn attention in B.C., including tribunal rulings against a former school trustee over comments criticizing gender ideology, and a family doctor who refused on religious grounds to administer a puberty-blocking drug to a transgender teen….