Ena Chadha


Ena Chadha is an Indo-Canadian human rights lawyer, investigator, author and educator, known for her equality rights litigation and adjudication. Chadha was appointed as the Interim Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission on July 22, 2020. Chadha was the 2019 recipient of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce’s Female Professional of the Year Award. Chadha also served as a Co-Reviewer of allegations of racism within the Peel District School Board, second largest public school board in Canada in 2019.

Biography

Ena Chadha was born in New Delhi, India and moved to Canada at 2 years of age. Chadha first lived in the Regent Park area of Toronto, Ontario and later settled in Brampton, Ontario, where Chadha attended elementary and high school, graduating from North Park Secondary School in 1986. Chadha has a Journalism degree from Ryerson University, a law degree from University of Saskatchewan, and a Masters of Law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.

Family

Chadha’s parents are Rajinder and Mohinder Chadha and she has a sister, Meena Chadha. In memory of her mother’s death, Chadha and her family established an entrance scholarship at the University of Saskatchewan for a first year female law student of Indigenous background to honour her mother’s legacy of community service and belief in supporting disadvantaged women.

Career

Ena Chadha was appointed as the Interim Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission on July 22, 2020. Chadha's appointment comes at a critical moment as the OHRC seeks to address human rights issues emerging out of the COVID-19 pandemic, while initiating a Right to Read public inquiry, and a systemic racism inquiry into the Toronto Police Services.
Highlights of Chadha’s career include serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Human Rights Legal Support Center, Director of Litigation of and appointment as Vice-Chair at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, where she served as a mediator and adjudicator rendering important rulings in the areas race discrimination and sexual harassment. Chadha has been recognized by the Canadian Bar Association as a Leader of Change for her work in challenging institutionalized inequality and racial barriers.

Publications

Chadha has written extensively on the topic of human rights. Her articles have been published in the Supreme Court Law Review, National Journal of Constitutional Law and Journal of Law and Social Policy. Chadha has contributed to various equality rights books and co-authored a chapter in a recent Oxford University Press treatise about international human rights law for women with disabilities and is a frequent public speaker promoting human rights.

List of Articles