Human Rights In The Employment Context

Human Rights Legislation

In Canada the respect of human rights in employment is legislated in all jurisdictions. This legislation is quasi-constitutional and remedial in nature and applies to all employers to ensure that the individual human rights of workers, which have been identified as being of vital importance, are respected.

As it relates to employment relationships, human rights legislation gives employees and potential employees statutory protection from discrimination on a number of core grounds, being race, colour, age, gender and disability. Creed and religion are also recognized prohibited grounds of discrimination in all jurisdictions.

The federal and provincial legislative schemes typically establish complaint based systems under which statutorily created human rights tribunals have the jurisdiction to deal with complaints of discrimination in employment and other contexts. Courts of law have also become increasingly open to the consideration of