310. Noting that Canada faced new domestic and global socio-economic challenges, the representative emphasized that Canada had taken decisive steps to provide women with an effective legal framework against discrimination. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guaranteed equality before the law and under the law and the equal protection of the law to women and men. Individuals and groups could challenge legislation and practices of the federal or provincial/territorial governments if they perceived them to be discriminatory. The Charter provided protection against intentional discrimination as well as systemic discrimination and protected women against laws and practices that resulted inadvertently in unfair treatment of women. A special programme provided financial support for groups and individuals seeking the equality protection of the Charter. A recent amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act granted protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Link to full text of the report: Concluding Observations-CEDAW-Canada-1997-eng