Legal Rights

Anti-Discrimination

No Quebec law forces you to declare your sexual orientation, to

• your employer,
• your landlord, or
• the government, such as immigration services.

Important! If you’re asking for refugee status because your sexual orientation puts your life in danger in your country, you might have to declare your sexual orientation. In this case, immigration services need to know why you’re asking for refugee status.

Do you have to hide your sexual orientation?

In Quebec, sexual orientation is part of a person’s private life. You don’t have to tell anyone about it, or keep it a secret. It’s your decision whether to tell others.

Quebec laws can’t protect you from rejection by family members or your religious community, but it can protect you in some areas of your life, such as work and housing.  

Are you protected against discrimination?

In Quebec, you’re not allowed to be treated differently because of your ethnic origin, sex, religion, language, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. These are called prohibited grounds of discrimination, and they’re listed in Quebec’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, as well as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

For example, an employer can’t refuse to hire you because you’re gay. Also, your employer can’t fire you or harass you psychologically because you’re gay. And a landlord can’t refuse to rent you an apartment for this reason.  These actions can be punished by law, and there are solutions for victims of discrimination who want to report what happened.

Despite the legal protections that are in place, discrimination in employment and housing do still happen. Keep a record of what was said if it does so that you are better prepared to take legal action if you choose to do so.

Are you protected against violence?

Many provincial and federal laws protect individuals from violence. For example, the Criminal Code defines different crimes and their punishments. Hate propaganda, promoting genocide and inciting the public to hate an identifiable group are not allowed and are considered crimes.

An identifiable group is a group of people who can be distinguished based on ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

More information on LGBTQ+ rights

*https://educaloi.qc.ca/dossier/lgbtq/