BC Civil Rights Protection Act (6:V)

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This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by the Law Students' Legal Advice Program on August 1, 2023.



British Columbia also has a Civil Rights Protection Act (CRPA), which defines prohibited acts and civil remedies or damages that may be available for victims of such acts. The prohibited acts are tortious in nature, and actions will be heard in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

The more pertinent points of the legislation are the following:

  • “Prohibited act” is defined as conduct or communications that interfere with the civil rights of a person or class by promoting hatred or contempt or by promoting the inferiority or superiority of a person or class on the basis of colour, race, religion, ethnic origin, or place of origin (CRPA, s 1),
  • A prohibited act is a tort actionable without proof of damage. The action may be brought by the individual targeted by the prohibited act, or, if a class was targeted, by any member of that class (CRPA s 2),
  • The Attorney General may choose to intervene in such actions, but, in any case, the Attorney General must be notified within 30 days of the start of an action (CRPA, s 3),
  • Remedies include general and exemplary damages. The court may order other types of relief such as an injunction in addition to or in lieu of damages (CRPA, s 4), and
  • For an offence under the CRPA, a person may be liable for a fine of up to $2,000 and/or 6 months imprisonment. A corporation or other public body may be liable for a fine of up to $10,000, and any directors or top personnel who were or should have been aware of the offending conduct may be found personally liable (CRPA, s 5).


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