RIGHT TO WATER, HEALTH AND HOUSING Court of Canada granted leave to appeal Canada did not meet its commitment to against that decision. ensure access to safe, clean water in First Immigration detention practices continued Nations communities by 31 March 2021. In to violate international human rights law, October, petroleum was discovered in including the rights of children and people Iqaluit’s water supply, forcing residents to rely with disabilities.2 on alternative sources. Despite the prevalence of Covid-19, WOMENS’ RIGHTS Indigenous peoples continued to lack The 2021-2022 federal budget included a healthcare facilities and services, and lived in commitment of over Can$27 billion underfunded and overcrowded housing. (approximately US$21 billion) over five years DISCRIMINATION to create a national affordable childcare system. Racialized communities continued to In March, the Canadian Alliance for Sex experience systemic racism, including in Work Law Reform launched a lawsuit to strike interactions with police forces. In December down Canada’s laws criminalizing sex work 2020, Black federal employees launched a on the grounds that these laws violate sex landmark class-action lawsuit against the workers’ rights. The case was pending at the federal government, alleging decades of end of the year. systemic and institutional racism in public In June, Canada launched a National Action services. The case remained pending before Plan to implement the 231 Calls for Justice the Federal Court of Canada at the end of the from the National Inquiry into Missing and year. Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, but In May, Indigenous leaders called for an failed to outline accountability measures and investigation of the Royal Canadian Mounted an implementation timeline. Police on Vancouver Island after the shooting In June, the Senate Standing Committee on of two Tla-o-qui-aht people in the first half of Human Rights released a report on forced 2021 which left one dead and one seriously and coerced sterilization, a practice that injured. In July, the First Nations Leadership disproportionately impacts Indigenous Council renewed the same call following the women, girls and two-spirit people. shooting of a Wet'suwet'en man in British Columbia. LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS In August, the Commission des droits de la A bill to criminalize “conversion therapy”, a personne et des droits de la jeunesse du process that seeks to change a person’s Quebec (Human Rights and Youth Rights sexual orientation or suppress a person’s Commission of Quebec) published a report gender identity or expression, became law on indicating that racial profiling complaints had 8 December. increased by 87%, from 46 in 2018-2019 to CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY 86 in 2020-2021. In January, Amazon factory staff reportedly REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS continued to work despite health and safety Between 21 March 2020 and 21 June 2021, concerns related to the pandemic. The 444 people seeking asylum were pushed company opposed workers’ attempts to back to the USA under measures to curb the unionize. Covid-19 pandemic. These measures were Canadian resource extraction companies rescinded on 20 November 2021. continued to operate extraterritorially with In April, the Federal Court of Appeal little human rights or environmental oversight overturned a decision that found the Canada- from the Canadian or host-state US Safe Third Country Agreement governments. unconstitutional. In December, the Supreme Amnesty International Report 2021/22 117