Take Pride: Celebrating And Accommodating Inclusion

There are many reasons for employers to celebrate inclusion this week. A notable development is the amendments made by the Province of British Columbia on July 25^th to the BC Human Rights Code to add "gender identity or expression" as a prohibited ground of discrimination.  These amendments provide an opportunity to reflect on inclusiveness in the workplace.

The BC Code amendments make it clear that transgender persons and other gender non-conforming individuals are entitled to legal protections in the same way that people are protected from discrimination and harassment based on race, age, disability and all other prohibited grounds.  The Government of Canada is also expected to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act in the next sitting of Parliament to include the explicit protection of gender identity.