The Income Security Advocacy Centre and Lake Country Community Legal Clinic jointly represented an Indigenous Elder in a legal challenge to the discrimination and wrongful termination he experienced while working as an Elder for the Correctional Service Canada.
The clinics worked with the Elder to challenge this mistreatment through both a civil lawsuit and a human rights complaint at the Canadian Human Rights Commission, both of which were started in June 2018.
Both the civil lawsuit and the human rights complaint were successfully settled in 2022 – five years after the wrongful dismissal took place.
Even though this case was resolved favourably, the issues raised continue to be a concern for Indigenous persons working in correctional services.
Other former Indigenous employees of Correctional Service Canada have brought a proposed class action at the Federal Court of Canada, alleging systemic racism within the CSC workplace.
To find out more about this case, click here.