LAW507
Canadian Human Rights Law
(Kully & Monsma)
Prerequisite courses: None
Prerequisite for:
Instructor(s): Jason Kully & Leanne Monsma
Course credit: 3
Method of presentation: Lecture
Teamwork:
METHOD OF EVALUATION
Draft Human Rights Complaint and Response to Complaint:
Students will be provided sets of facts and will be required to draft a Human Rights Complaint and a Response to a Complaint that will collectively be worth 40% of the Student's final grade.
Written Memorandum/Opinion:
Students will be provided a set of facts and will be required to provide a written memorandum/opinion to their client identifying and assessing the relevant human rights issues. This memorandum/opinion will be worth 60% of the Student’s final grade.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is an introductory course on Canadian human rights and anti-discrimination law, with a focus on the application of the law in practice. The course will discuss the concepts and jurisprudence emerging from human rights legislation across Canada, with a focus on Alberta, and will prepare students to identify and address human rights issues as they occur in practice.
This course will be taught via lectures, supplemented with PowerPoints, which will address the legal issues that are important to human rights practice. In most lectures, time will be taken to engage in group discussion of sample problems related to the issue of the week to develop practical skills involved in the practice of human rights law (e.g. issue spotting, elements of a proper complaint and response, written advocacy, etc.).
Topics addressed in the course include:
Protected grounds of discrimination – what are they and what do they mean?
Protected areas of discrimination – what are they and when are they engaged?
Prima facie discrimination – what is the legal test now and how has it evolved
Defences to discrimination – bona fide occupational requirements and duty to accommodate
Remedies under human rights legislation
Human rights tribunal complaint and hearing processes
SPECIAL COMMENTS
Description updated 2025-26. Please contact the instructor for any specific questions you may have related to this particular course section.
REQUIRED TEXTS (IF ANY)
Cases and Statutory materials as assigned. Electronic casebook will be provided.