Human Rights

Human rights legislation protects employees from discrimination on the basis of certain immutable or personal characteristics, including: 

• Age
• Ancestry, colour, race
• Citizenship
• Ethnic origin
• Place of origin
• Creed
• Disability
• Family status
• Marital status (including single status)
• Gender identity, gender expression
• Record of offences
• Sex (including pregnancy and breastfeeding)
• Sexual orientation.

These characteristics are referred to as prohibited grounds of discrimination.  

Discrimination can take a variety of forms, including intentional acts designed to target certain individuals, or policies or decisions that appear neutral on their face, but adversely impact certain groups. 

Any employer who has discriminated against or harassed  an employee on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination, may face  legal action either through an application to the relevant tribunal, or in some cases by litigation through the courts.