Equality is an essential aspect in the study of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is connected to each case study, every example, and many sections of the Charter. Equality, as a general term, is relatively easy to understand. However, equality, as a term associated with the Charter is a difficult idea to comprehend. Providing people with equal protection and equal benefit of the law does not mean treating people exactly the same. Rather, in our quest for equality, it is often necessary to treat people differently, as long as we are treating them fairly, so that they do not suffer from discrimination.

Discrimination occurs when someone acts on a stereotype (preconceived judgment) or prejudice (an unreasonable or unfair dislike or preference because a person or group belongs to a specific race, religion, or group). Discrimination, therefore, leads to unfair treatment and imposes a penalty upon people for invalid reasons preventing them from having an equal opportunity to be a part of society.

STEREOTYPE→ PREJUDICE→ DISCRIMINATION

STEREOTYPE

ü  Means “set image”

ü  Involve generalizations about the "typical" characteristics of members of a group

ü  Refers to an instant or fixed picture of a group of people

ü  Labels that people apply to members of certain groups, regardless of their individuality

ü  Organize and simplify our complex world→ therefore, can be functional

ü  Usually based on incomplete information

ü  Can be positive, but usually negative

ü  Applied to many factors such as class, gender, race, age, and ethnicity

Examples of Stereotypes:

·  All women are dangerous drivers

·  All Asian people are superior at Math

·  All people living at Jane and Finch are gang members

PREJUDICE

ü  It is a preconceived opinion, belief, or attitude about a group of people that is applied to an individual

ü  Literally means “prejudgment”

ü  A prejudiced person pre-judges another individual based on the fact that he or she belongs to a group, not on actual character, skill, or personality

ü  Prejudice opinions are based on ignorance, not fact

ü  Can be positive, but are usually negative

ü  Stereotypes lead to prejudice

Using the same three examples stated above, show how these stereotypes can lead to prejudice:

STEREOTYPE→→→ / PREJUDICE
All women are dangerous drivers / Jessica can’t drive because she is female
All Asian people are superior at Math / Lee is going to ace his Math test because he is Asian
All people living at Jane and Finch are gang members / Mrs. Koutsaris is part of a gang because she grew up at Jane and Finch

DISCRIMINATION

ü  Occurs when people act on a prejudice or stereotype and treat others unfairly

ü  Discrimination is illegal, unlike prejudice and stereotyping, because it violates the human rights of individuals

ü  There are two types of discrimination in law:

1.  Intentional discrimination (a.k.a. differential treatment)

o  Occurs when a person or organization knowingly commits a discriminatory act (on purpose)

o  Refer to the handout for an example

2.  Unintentional discrimination (a.k.a. disproportionate impact)

o  Occurs when people or organizations treat others unfairly but are not aware that their actions are discriminatory

o  Refer to the handout for an example

Using the examples previously stated, show how these prejudices/pre-judgements could lead to discrimination:

STEREOTYPE→→→ / PREJUDICE→→→ / DISCRIMINATION
All women are dangerous drivers / Jessica can’t drive because she is female / Jessica is not hired as a limo driver because she is female
All Asian people are superior at Math / Lee is going to ace his test because he is Asian / Lee is given a harder test by his teacher because he is Asian
All people living at Jane and Finch are gang members / Mrs. Koutsaris is part of a gang because she grew up at Jane and Finch / Mrs. Koutsaris is not hired as a teacher because she lives at Jane and Finch

ACTIVITY: SKIT

In your groups, develop a skit that clearly shows how a stereotype could lead to a prejudice and finally result in a discriminatory action.

Each group will depict a discriminatory action based on the random distribution of the following topics:

Class Physical Appearance School

Gender Disability Work

Age Communication

Ethnicity Where you live