Despite growing societal and media attention to problems of discrimination in Canadian society, legal concepts in equality and anti-discrimination law are not widely understood. Discrimination Stories: Exclusion, Law, and Everyday Life explores diverse legal cases brought before courts and human rights tribunals to help us understand the development of anti-discrimination law in Canada. The cases take us into — and teach us about — the concrete realities of inequality in everyday life. They portray the struggles of individuals, families, and communities seeking justice and legal remedies for the harms of discrimination. The cases also reveal both the strengths and limits of anti-discrimination law. They show that equality in our human relations cannot be crafted exclusively by courts or tribunals, despite their significance and importance. Drawing on the complexity and power of discrimination stories, this book is designed to expand our collective knowledge of the evolving legal concepts at the heart of equality law.

Colleen Sheppard is a professor at the Faculty of Law, McGill University, a member of the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Her teaching and research focus on equality rights, systemic discrimination, and Canadian constitutional law. She has published widely on these issues both nationally and internationally. 

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“This superb enriching book effectively uses wrenching incidents in the lives of ordinary people in Canada to teach us about indispensable legal principles and concepts in human rights, anti-discrimination, and constitutional law. Anyone interested in making our society an equitable and inclusive one in which all can fully participate will thoroughly enjoy Colleen Sheppard's accessible writing style as she equips you to understand and work with principles that all need to know.”

David Lepofsky, disability rights advocate, chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, and visiting professor at the Osgoode Hall Law School

“First Nations families and communities have to litigate their way to equality until enough caring Canadians understand the longstanding systemic discrimination that undermines hopes, dreams, and opportunities. Colleen Sheppard’s book explains the meaning of discrimination — a concept central to our landmark litigation.” 

Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada