When a human rights tribunal finds that discrimination has occurred, the respondent faces financial consequences that extend well beyond any wages or income the complainant may have lost. These broader damages, often called general damages or damages for injury to dignity, feelings, and self-respect, represent the tribunal's recognition that discrimination causes harm that cannot be measured in dollars alone. For business owners, sole proprietors, and non-profit operators across Canada, understanding this category of damages is essential because it represents a significant and sometimes surprising component of financial exposure in any discrimination complaint.
The concept of injury to dignity flows directly from the fundamental purpose of human rights legislation in Canada. Every province and territory, along with the federal jurisdiction, has enacted human rights statutes that protect individuals from discrimination in areas such as employment, housing, and services. These statutes share a common philosophical foundation: that every person possesses inherent dignity and worth, and that discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, sex, disability, religion, or age violates that dignity in ways that cause genuine suffering. The British Columbia Human Rights Code, the Alberta Human Rights Act, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, the Ontario Human Rights Code, and Quebec's Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms all provide mechanisms for tribunals to award compensation that addresses this dignitary harm. As of the date of authorship, these statutes uniformly authorize compensation for injury to dignity, though they use slightly different language and frameworks to do so.