ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the distinctly less dramatic but nonetheless real challenges implicit in achieving equal opportunity for all groups in Canada, a country which is generally viewed as having a well-developed system of human rights protection. It outlines the human rights framework that exists in the country, with particular reference to the work of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The chapter focuses on the currently controversial concept of affirmative action which is viewed in some quarters as a necessary extension of human rights principles, in others as a misguided effort at social engineering that undermines the very idea of equality. In some instances the credibility of human rights commissions has also been undermined by their willingness to deal with issues that are portrayed, rightly or wrongly, as trivial. Anti-discrimination laws fitted quite comfortably into this philosophy since they were aimed at eliminating unwarranted barriers.
