ONGOING PLAN DEVELOPMENT
All plans grow and develop over time. Because approval requirements have been kept to a minimum, some organizations will continue to develop the basic components of their plans after approval. Other organizations, even those with extensive equity experience, will continue to face challenges as they seek faster progress towards representative workforces, equitable educational outcomes, and inclusive organizations.
The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission will provide Equity Partners with ongoing support through information, training, resources, and networking events.
Equity plans have the same objective as the Commission’s complaint system – a society in which every person is free and equal in dignity and rights. For this reason, nothing done to achieve the purposes of an equity plan is a violation of The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018.
Section 55 of The Code gives the Commission authority to approve equity plans under certain circumstances. Programs must:
- be designed to prevent, reduce, or eliminate disadvantages that are related to one of the prohibited grounds of discrimination: age, religion or religious creed, marital status, family status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, colour, ancestry, nationality, place of origin, race or perceived race, and receipt of public assistance.
- operate in the areas of employment, education, housing, or public services
Section 55 gives the Commission the authority to monitor the progress of plans, and to vary or withdraw SHRC approval.