Section 10(2) The Ontario Human Rights Code specifies:

The right to equal treatment without discrimination because of sex includes the right to equal treatment without discrimination because a woman is or may become pregnant.

R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19, s. 10 (2).

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) developed a Policy on Discrimination Because of Pregnancy and Breastfeeding (PDF document) which further explains the law and its interpretation and implementation. It clarifies that the protections for pregnancy include the post-natal period, which includes breastfeeding. The policy statement elaborates:

You have rights as a nursing mother. For example, you have the right to breastfeed a child in a public area. No one should prevent you from nursing your child simply because you are in a public area. They should not ask you to “cover up”, disturb you, or ask you to move to another area that is more “discreet”.

There are also protections on the federal level. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms specifies:

15(1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability.

INFACT Canada explains what women can do if they have been harassed for breastfeeding:

Report the incident to the Human Rights Commission in your province. As commissions don’t handle many complaints about breastfeeding, individual officers may be unfamiliar with the issue and require some explanation of why this is discrimination, or why the provision of an alternative place to breastfeed is not enough. Be persistent. Contact a women’s rights organization, La Leche League or other group for help and support if you feel you are not being heard.

According to the OHRC website, complaints are now to be filed directly with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

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