Indigenous people and new Canadians in the NWT’s North Slave region reported experiencing widespread discrimination but little awareness of the human rights commission, according to a new report.
The NWT Human Rights Commission released the report last month on human rights awareness among Indigenous people and people who have been living in Canada for less than five years.
“We’ve wondered for a long time about our impact in the community,” Charles Dent, chair of the commission, told Cabin Radio of the study, which launched in 2024.
“This was intended as a baseline to help us understand what people know and think about the commission. We’re going to use this information, obviously, to try and figure out ways to improve how people know about what we do.”
The report’s findings were based on surveys, interviews and focus groups with 100 people and six organizations in Yellowknife, Ndılǫ and Dettah.
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Of the 61 Indigenous people who completed surveys, 90 percent reported experiencing discrimination or being treated unfairly in the past five years, while 78 percent of the 27 newcomers who completed surveys reported experiencing discrimination during that period.
That compares to 46 percent of Indigenous people and 48 percent of newcomers nationally who reported experiencing discrimination over the past five years.
Dent said while he is aware there is “a real issue with discrimination in the territory,” he was surprised by the extent to which respondents in the NWT reported experiencing discrimination compared to elsewhere in Canada.
He said it’s unclear whether that’s due to broader discrimination in the NWT or underreporting in southern Canada.
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Looking for ways to connect
Indigenous survey respondents in the NWT said they most often experienced discrimination in stores and restaurants, followed by interactions with police.
New Canadians reported experiencing discrimination most frequently at work or when applying for jobs.
Despite reporting high rates of discrimination, many respondents indicated they were unaware of the NWT Human Rights Commission, particularly newcomers.
The commission is an independent agency that works to protect individuals and groups from discrimination under the NWT Human Rights Act.
Just eight Indigenous respondents and two newcomers said they had ever contacted the commission.
The report found key barriers to reporting discrimination to the commission included a lack of awareness about the complaints process, fear of retaliation or personal consequences, emotional exhaustion involved in filing complaints, and a perception that the process is long, complex or ineffective.
Dent said while it was “disappointing” to find that survey respondents were largely unaware of the work the commission does, the commission plans to use the report’s findings to improve services and awareness in the territory.
“Obviously, we would have preferred to see a report that came back and said glowing things about the commission, but I don’t think any of us expected that,” he said.
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“What we’re looking for is to find ways to connect with northerners more meaningfully. Hopefully we’re going to be able to take what we found here and apply it not just in the North Slave but in other areas, and then do further research to see just how effective whatever we change is.”
The report includes 12 recommendations to address discrimination, increase awareness of the commission and human rights, and address barriers to reporting.
They include expanding education and outreach efforts, offering non-complaint-based interventions, allowing organizations to file collective complaints, simplifying the intake process and providing culturally relevant navigators.
The commission said over the next year it will develop an action plan based on the report’s findings and recommendations.
Dent said he hopes to expand research across the territory in the future.
