Why Is Equality So Important?
Equality is at the heart of human rights. Everyone should have the same chance to succeed and live a fulfilling life. This means that regardless of your race, disability, gender, or family situation, you should be able to live without fear of discrimination. When we treat others with respect and fairness, we create a more inclusive and just society for everyone.
What Does the Commission Do?
The Commission administers the Human Rights Act. This means we answer questions from the public, take complaints, help parties resolve their issues, and decide whether a complaint requires a hearing. Members of the Human Rights Adjudication Panel hear complaints referred to them by the Commission. They are a separate organization.
The Commission is also responsible for educating the public about human rights. Whether you have a question about your own circumstances or are looking for education and training we can help! Our process is confidential which means that our office won’t share your information with anyone without your consent. If we can’t help you, we’ll do our best to refer you to an organization that can.
The Commission offers training and education presentations to organizations across the Territory. We also have a small grant programme to support human-rights related community projects. Our website has loads of FREE resources for employers, employees, landlords, public service providers, teachers, parents, and young people to learn about their rights and responsibilities under the Act. We also have a Facebook Page where we share local stories and events related to human rights. We also share feel-good stories that promote inclusion, and host contests with awesome prizes.
How to recognize human rights in everyday life
Human rights are for everyone no matter who they are, where they come from, or what challenges they face. In the NWT, human rights are protected by the Human Rights Act. The Act protects people from discrimination in 5 areas: Employment and Employee Organizations, Tenancy, Public Services, and Publications – including some social media.
The Act protects people from discrimination in these areas based on 22 grounds – or characteristics – such as your race, ethnicity, a disability, your age – old or young, your religion, sexual orientation, marital, or family status.
Discrimination happens when a person is negatively affected by an experience or treated differently from others because of one of the grounds protected under the Act:
Negative Treatment + Area + Ground = Potential Human Rights Issue
Inter-personal issues, such as a dispute between neighbours, may not be protected by the Act.
The most common human rights complaints we receive are related to accommodating disabilities. In 2024-2025, over 54% of new complaints included an allegation of discrimination based on disability. In 2023-2024, it was 87%.
What is an Accommodation?
Imagine for a moment that everyone was treated exactly the same way, everywhere, all the time: Everyone has to wear identical clothes which only come in one size, take the same stairs, visit the same doctor, and when they get to the doctor no matter what their problem is, they get the same treatment as everyone else – two pain tablets and a sticky fabric band-aid. In this scenario, people are being treated exactly the same, but not everyone is having their needs met in equal measure.
Accommodation happens when society creates spaces and rules that are flexible so a person who can’t use stairs has another way to access a space, a person can access clothes that fit, a person who needs a mental health doctor can see one, and a person who is allergic to band-aid glue gets something else to cover their wound.
Under the Human Rights Act, employers, landlords, and other service providers have what’s called a Duty to Accommodate. This means they must make reasonable changes to help people fully participate in society. This duty applies to people facing barriers because of their race, age, gender, disability, medical condition, family status, or any other ground protected by the Act.
For employers, this could mean offering flexible work hours, allowing extra breaks, or making the workspace more accessible.
For landlords, this could mean having a policy to address the use of service animals or providing accessible suites and remembering people have a right to access housing regardless of how they receive their income.
For public service providers, this could mean incorporating human rights training as part of your hiring process and having an active offer for people who may require an accommodation.
Human rights are the foundation of an inclusive community, and as simple as treating others the way you would want to be treated.