This blog post is written by Myleen Sacro, Project Coordinator of ActionDignity, and is the intellectual property of ActionDignity. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from ActionDignity is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to ActionDignity with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
“I walked into the building in my best suit, resume in hand, feeling hopeful. My qualifications had impressed them—the call I received was warm and encouraging. I had been told I’d moved on to the next stage and would be interviewed by the director, which felt like a promising opportunity in a competitive job market.
But when I arrived, the tone shifted. “The director isn’t available anymore,” the receptionist said. “We’ve decided not to proceed.” There was no explanation, no interview. I couldn’t help but wonder what had changed between the phone call and my arrival—now that they could see me, maybe it’s just simply because I’m a Black man.”
-A racialized worker
The Legal Reality for Racialized Workers
This story is not an isolated one. In a province as diverse as Alberta, it’s easy to assume that fairness and justice are accessible to everyone. But for many racialized workers and newcomers, the reality is very different. From unjust dismissals and discriminatory hiring practices to harassment, many are left to navigate life-changing legal problems entirely on their own.
Immigrant workers often carry an invisible but heavy burden – navigating workplaces that weren’t built with them in mind. Their challenges go beyond the usual struggles of employment. They stem from deep-rooted systemic inequities that many others will never have to face.
Based on ActionDignity’s engagement with communities, these are the major challenges our community members are facing in real life:
- Unjust dismissals: Being fired without a clear reason or due process isn’t rare. Many workers don’t even realize their dismissal was illegal, let alone know how to challenge it.
- Workplace discrimination: From hiring practices to promotions and disciplinary action, racial bias creeps in, subtly and systemically.
- Harassment and intimidation: Racialized workers sometimes face verbal abuse, coded language, microaggressions, and even physical threats.
- Wage exploitation: From unpaid overtime to wages below the legal minimum, exploitation thrives where there is fear. Newcomers, especially those on temporary work permits or with uncertain status, are among the most vulnerable.
- Fear of Retaliation: Without permanent residency, a union, or full knowledge of their rights, speaking up can feel like gambling with your livelihood, your status, or even your ability to stay in the country.
The stories we’ve heard from the communities are supported by broader research. According to Statistics Canada, from 2021 to 2024, over half (51%) of racialized people aged 15 years and older reported experiencing discrimination or unfair treatment within the five years prior to the survey. This was nearly double the proportion (27%) recorded for non-racialized people. Specifically, discrimination based on race or skin colour was the leading perceived reason for discrimination against racialized people (66%). This was followed by discrimination due to ethnicity or culture (49%), accent (28%), and language (27%).i
According to CLPS 2021 (Canadian Legal Problems Survey) conducted by Statistics Canada, Albertans experience discrimination at a higher rate than the national average. In Alberta, discrimination is the second most common legal issue and is considered a serious legal problem by 19.1% of the respondents surveyed. This legal problem often serves as grounds for legal action in various areas of law, including employment and landlord/tenant disputes.ii
At the heart of these issues are more than just gaps in knowledge; they’re gaps in power. Racialized workers often:
- Struggle with language barriers that make legal information confusing or completely inaccessible
- Face cultural disconnects that make it harder to ask for help or understand their rights
- Are deemed inferior due to the colour of their skin, their accent, their name, and their immigration status
What Newcomers Are Telling Us: 2024 Alberta Law Foundation Legal Needs of Newcomers in Alberta Report
The challenges and barriers we’ve heard from the communities is aligned with broader research findings.
The 2024 Alberta Law Foundation report on the legal needs of newcomers presents a concerning yet important overview: newcomers across Alberta are facing significant, interconnected legal challenges without sufficient support. These challenges span various areas, including immigration, family law, housing and employment rights, criminal law, discrimination, and human rights. Despite the breadth of these legal issues, the resources available to address them remain limited, difficult to access, or culturally unsafe. Many newcomers do not have access to information about their rights and responsibilities, resulting in preventable legal problems.iii
The report identifies four major barriers that hinder newcomers from obtaining the legal assistance they need:iv
- Language and cultural misunderstandings
- Insufficient translated and accessible resources and multilingual services
- Complex legal systems
- Inconsistent service provision
“These barriers don’t just make life more difficult; they lead to serious consequences such as eviction, loss of status, domestic violence, exploitation, and isolation,” the report warns.
Bridging Legal Gaps from the Ground Up: ActionDignity’s Approach
This report highlights what we observe daily at ActionDignity: legal inequities faced by racialized communities are not merely individual challenges but reflect a broader systemic barrier.
Justice should not depend on your first language, immigration status, or ability to pay for a lawyer. Unfortunately, for many racialized and newcomer workers, that is often the case. So, what can we do to address the barriers and legal challenges in navigating the justice system and ensuring equitable access to legal resources?
At ActionDignity, we believe that legal empowerment must originate from those most affected. We listen, learn, and act alongside racialized workers and community organizations.
Through our Community Conversation Circles, we identified the most pressing legal concerns faced by racialized workers: discrimination, illegal dismissal, unequal pay, unawareness of rights, harassment, complex legal system, unaffordable legal fees, etc. These identified issues echoed Alberta Law Foundation’s 2024 Legal Needs of Newcomers in Alberta Report, and the 2022-2023 Alberta Legal Needs Assessment: What We Learned So Far.v
What we gathered from these discussions was transformed into a mapping of legal challenges and barriers, leading to the creation of our Justice Navigator training curriculum. This tool empowers community members with the legal knowledge and resources necessary to support others.
Grounded in the experiences of racialized workers, Community-led Action Plan (CAP) initiative seeks to tackle the challenges these individuals encounter in accessing or understanding legal information due to language, cultural, or systemic barriers. Each CAP serves as a strategic roadmap, outlining targeted actions to overcome identified legal obstacles.
By centering the voices of racialized workers and supporting culturally relevant legal education, the BLG project is creating a path forward, one that is community-led, legally empowering, and deeply rooted in lived experience. This initiative goes beyond legal education; it is about transformation. It is about ensuring that the next time a racialized worker walks into an interview, their qualifications are what matter, not the colour of their skin.
Want to help close the legal gap? Whether you’re a racialized worker, a community advocate, or simply someone who believes in fair treatment for all, you have a role to play.
Stay tuned with this blog series and our project activities to access resources, get involved, and be part of the change to make legal support more accessible and equitable for everyone.
References
i.Statistics Canada, Half of racialized people have experienced discrimination or unfair treatment in the past five years, retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240516/dq240516b-eng.htm?utm_source=rddt&utm_medium=smo&utm_campaign=statcan-statcan-qol-qdv, on July 09, 2025.
ii.2022-2023 Alberta Legal Needs Assessment: What We Learned So Far, Alberta Law Foundation, retrieved from https://albertalawfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2022-23-AB-Legal-Needs-Assessment-July-2023.pdf, on July 8, 2025, pages 12 and 26.
iii.2024 Legal Needs of Newcomers in Alberta, Alberta Law Foundation, retrieved from https://albertalawfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Legal-Needs-of-Newcomers-_Final-Report_Alberta-Law-Foundation.pdf, on July 7, 2025.
iv. 2024 Legal Needs of Newcomers in Alberta, Alberta Law Foundation, retrieved from https://albertalawfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Legal-Needs-of-Newcomers-_Final-Report_Alberta-Law-Foundation.pdf, on July 7, 2025, page 7.
v. 2022-2023 Alberta Legal Needs Assessment: What We Learned So Far, Alberta Law Foundation, retrieved from , on July 8, 2025.https://albertalawfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2022-23-AB-Legal-Needs-Assessment-July-2023.pdf, on July 8, 2025.