HR Policies & Employment Legislation

Human Rights Legislation

Human rights legislation is put in place to protect people from discrimination. It seeks to
guarantee people equal treatment regardless of certain identified characteristics (called
prohibited grounds of discrimination) that have attracted historical stereotyping or bias in
relation to employment.

Employers, including nonprofit organizations, need to be aware of human rights legislation as

it applies to all practices of employment, including:

Recruitment ads Promotion

Application forms Demotion
Interviews Benefits
Hiring Wages
Dismissal/termination Workplace harassment

As organizations strive to create a better world through their missions, it is important that they
also work at creating inclusive workplaces that are respectful and welcoming of diversity. Most
of the sites below have excellent resources and tools that your organization can use in creating
policies, in the hiring process, and in building a more diverse and respectful workforce. We
encourage you to explore several of the websites below as they offer a wealth of information that
can often be applied across provincial/territorial lines. Particular attention should be paid to the
employers duty to accommodate an employee in the workplace.

Federal legislation

Two pieces of federal legislation set the groundwork for creating workplace diversity and
supporting an inclusive workplace:

The Employment Equity Act ensures improved job opportunities for four specific groups:
women, Aboriginal people, members of visible minorities and people with disabilities.
The Canadian Human Rights Act entitles all individuals to equal opportunities without regard to
race or colour, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, family or marital status, sex (including
pregnancy or childbirth), pardoned conviction, disability (either physical or mental or as the
result of dependence on alcohol or drugs) or sexual orientation.