Elderly people
As an elderly person, the Charter protects you in your interactions with:
- organizations
- service providers
- government institutions
It also protects you in your private relationships, such as those with your children and other family members.
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Charter rights
The Charter guarantees elderly people:
The right to equality
Your right to equality protects you from discrimination and harassment on the basis of your age.
Age is a prohibited ground for discrimination and harassment.
The right to protection from exploitation
Exploitation means taking advantage of an elderly person’s vulnerability to deprive them of their rights.
Fundamental rights and freedoms
Your fundamental rights and freedoms include your rights to life; personal security, inviolability and freedom; privacy; assistance; and free disposition of your property.
Learn more on fundamental rights and freedoms
Elderly people also have rights that are guaranteed by laws other than the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
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Know your rights
Thematic pages
Leaflets and tools
- Governmental Action Plan to Counter Elder Abuse: Here is an introduction (video) to this plan.
- Exploitation of an Elderly or Disabled Person
- Guide to Countering Elder Abuse (French only)
- The AQDR: Aînées, des réponses à vos questions (French only)
- Guide pratique pour protéger un client en situation de vulnérabilité (French only)
Organizations and associations
- The Association québécoise de défense des droits des personnes retraitées et préretraitées (AQDR)
- The Fédération de l’Âge d’Or du Québec (FADOQ)
- The Curateur public du Québec
- The Ombudsman
- The Office de la protection du consommateur
- The Tribunal administratif du logement
- The Autorité des marchés financiers
- The Centre for Research and Expertise in Social Gerontology
Help and referral
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What can you do if your rights are being violated?
The Commission can help enforce your rights
We are here to help you understand and defend your Charter rights. We can assist you if:
- you have experienced or witnessed exploitation
We will assess your situation quickly to determine if we are able to investigate. Depending on the outcome of our investigation, we may propose ways to resolve the situation or may refer the matter to court.
File a complaint of exploitation
- you have experienced discrimination or harassment on the basis of your age
File a complaint of discrimination or harassment
Find help
- If you need services at home because you are losing your autonomy:
- If your problem is related to housing:
- Contact the Tribunal administratif du logement
- If you are being denied the care you are entitled to in your residential and long-term care centre (CHSLD):
- Contact the Ombudsman (Protecteur du citoyen)
- Contact the users’ committee
- Contact the Centre d’assistance et d’accompagnement aux plaintes
If you have experienced physical or sexual abuse
- Contact your local police department or the Sûreté du Québec (911)
- Contact the Elder Mistreatment Helpline: www.aideabusaines.ca/en/ or 1 888-489-2287