Colour as a Discrete Ground of Discrimination

Colour, as a ground of discrimination, is usually equated with or subsumed under the ground of race. We argue that colour does and should have a discrete role in human rights and equality cases because it highlights certain hierarchies and forms of marginalization unaddressed by the ground of race. To support this argument, we first explore the concepts of “race” and “colour” and their relationship to one another, as well as the harms done by discrimination based on colour. Then, after a brief review of the use of race and colour in international and domestic instruments, we examine American anti-discrimination employment cases to learn from that country’s experience with separating the race and colour grounds of discrimination. We then turn to the emerging Canadian jurisprudence recognizing a distinct role for the colour ground and examine the possible consequences of that recognition.