Workplace discrimination is an issue faced by many people across
Canada. Many know that there is legal recourse for
human rights concerns related to termination, but what happens
when a person doesn't even get a job for discriminatory
reasons? A Cold Lake, Alberta, resident was recently awarded
$56,000 in lost wages and damages from a company that refused to
hire him due to his sexual orientation and race.
The male complainant is married to another man, who serves
as an RCMP officer in the area. In the summer of 2014, he was
interviewed for an office assistant job at a local auto body shop.
During the 75-minute interview, the applicant was asked questions
about religion, marriage, race and sexual orientation. The
interviewer, who also happened to be the mayor of Cold Lake,
advised the interviewee that he did not want to be politically
correct and asked very direct questions about these topics. He also
mentioned that he was Catholic and alluded to his beliefs
