PLEA gratefully acknowledges our primary core funder the Law Foundation of Saskatchewan for their continuing and generous support of our organization.
The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission handles complaints related to discrimination. You can report discrimination that is contrary to The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code to them. In most cases, you can only make a complaint up to one year after the discrimination happened.
The first person you talk to will usually ask some questions about your situation. You will normally need to fill out a questionnaire. It asks for things like your contact information, details about the problem and what you think should be done about it. They may ask for documents needed to help prove your claim, such as a lay-off notice following a pregnancy announcement.
The Commission will consider the situation and decide if the matter is something they can deal with. They can only get involved if the discrimination was based on a prohibited ground. For example, it is not against the law to offer services only to people over 18. The discrimination must also have happened in a situation covered by the law. For example, the law does not deal with discrimination in private situations, such as someone not allowing you into their home.
If the Commission can deal with your case, they will ask if you want to file a complaint. They may also be able to solve the situation informally without filing a complaint. The person who is dealing with your case can explain the options to you.
If you make an official complaint, a copy of it will be sent to the other party. They have to respond in writing if the Commission decides to investigate. You will get a copy of the other party’s response.
A mediator will work with you and the other party to try to resolve the situation. The mediator does not work for either side. They try to help people reach an agreement but both parties must decide if they are willing to settle the case. You and the other party might agree that they will:
If you and the other party cannot agree on how to resolve the problem, the Commission will investigate the complaint further. After the investigation, the case is referred to the Chief Commissioner who decides if it should be mediated, dismissed, sent to a hearing or dealt with in another way.
If there is a hearing, a lawyer for the Commission will present the case in court. The court can order things like compensation or a change in the person’s business practices, if they find that there was discrimination.
PLEA offers free online training on preventing and addressing workplace harassment.