This article discusses how Canadian experience in the legal treatment of cultural diversity, including the sometimes distinct Québécois experience, sheds light on the interpretation and application of human rights in plural societies. Equality is examined here through the concept of ‘reasonable accommodation’, a concept which has begun to attract attention in Europe. The considerable extent of reasonable accommodation in Canada, the connections between reasonable accommodation and the public policies known as Canadian multiculturalism and Québec interculturalism, and other issues and controversies, are discussed. The paper also addresses the meaning of freedom in a plural society, describing how Canadian courts are still searching for an acceptable balance between individual freedom and the collective dimension of culture. Elaborating on this tension, the paper discusses ‘cultural rights’ as a useful concept for giving meaning to human rights not just in Canada, but in other plural societies facing similar issues.

Keywords: Human Rights; Pluralism; Equality; Reasonable Accommodation; Freedom; Cultural Rights; Canada; Quebec.