The town of Brampton in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA has become the second municipality in Canada to pass a motion against caste-based discrimination.
A resolution in this regard was passed by the city council and has been referred to the Ontario Human Rights Commission or OHRC, the outlet Brampton Guardian reported on Wednesday.
“Caste-based oppression is experienced by various faith communities in South Asia, the Caribbean and parts of Africa and East Asia,” the motion read.
“There are documented cases of caste-based discrimination in the diaspora in Canada. Caste may be identified by, but not limited to an individual’s last name, family occupation, diet and area of origin and self-identification can be unsafe when cast-based discrimination is not recognized,” it added, according to the outlet.
Brampton has become the first municipality in the province of Ontario to pass a motion against caste-based discrimination.
The city of Burnaby in the province of British Columbia was the first municipality in the country to include caste as a protected category in its equity policy. The motion in that regard was passed by City Council in April.
That motion had been passed unanimously, according to Council member Sav Dhaliwal. It had earlier been passed by the executive committee of the Council on April 5, requesting the Council to include caste as a protected category. “It’s an acknowledgement of a problem that exists and that’s the start of the search for solutions,” Dhaliwal, chair of the executive committee, told the Hindustan Times.
In March this year, the Toronto District School Board or TDSB, the largest in the country, had passed a similar resolution and had also referred the matter to the OHRC to frame a policy.
That motion had been passed with 16 votes in favour and five against.
That TDSB motion raised awareness over discrimination based on caste.
