Disability and Work: The Transformation of the Legal Status of Employees with Disabilities in Canada

• Author: Michael Lynk
• Pages: 189-257



DisabilityandWork

TheTransformationoftheLegalStatus

ofEmployeeswithDisabilitiesinCanada

Michael Lynk*

A. INTRODUCTION

Formuchof thetwentiethcentur ytheconcepts offrustration ofcon-

tractinnocentabsenteeismanddismissalforincapacitydecisively

shapedthe legalrelationship betweenemployeesw ithadi sabilityand

theiremployersAsaconditionofobtainingormaintainingemployment

anemployeewas expectedto productivelyperformt heentire rangeof

hisa ssignedjob responsibilities If thatcould notbe accomplishedbe-

cause ofa preexi sting conditionor in the aermath of a medium or

longterm disabling condition the employerwas ent itledto t reat the

incapacity as a frustration of the employment contract and lawfully

terminatet heemploymentcontractThe onlyexception wasifthecol-

lectiveagreement the individualcontract ofemploymentor the appli-

cablelabour standardsst atutecontained aprotec tiveprovision which

 MichaelLynkisana ssociateprofessorw iththeUniversityofWesternOnt ario

FacultyofLawwhereheteachesconst itutionallaboura ndhumanrightslawHe

wishestotha nkClaudiaVicencioJeremyShawLindaVandenBrinkandDa nna

Morrisonforthei rsplendidresearchforth ispaperAlsospecialth anksgotoMa

Wilsonforhisinte llectualpar tnershipontheaccom modationduty

 Forcommonlawexpressionsoft hetraditionalposit ionseeDartmouthFerryCom -

mission v. Mark sSCRBurgess v. Central Trust Co.CCEL

NBQBParks v. AtlanticProvincesSpec ialEducationAuthorityDLR

thNSCAForanarbitralillu strationseeRe United Automobile Worke rs and

MasseyFergusonLtdLACWeiler

ML

wasuncommonOtherwiseanemployeewithadisabilityhadtoadjust

totheworkplaceexactlyasitwas Failingthathehad nolegalclaimto

ajobbecauset helawofthe workplaceimposednoobligationuponan

employertoalterthe workplaceinanywayortooer anaccommoda-

tionorreemployment

Howeverover the past twenty years disability r ights atwork in

Canada haveundergone an extraordinary sea change The rise of hu-

manrightsobligations andinpart iculartheemergence ofthedutyto

accommodatehasbecomethemost signicantworkplacelawdevelop-

mentinrecenttimesFlowingfromth ishasbeenatsuna miofcasesde-

cidedbythe courtslabour arbitratorsandhuma nrightstribunalst hat

have measurablyexpa ndedt he scope and perimeters of employment

rightsforemployeeswith disabilitiesWhatwasonce aonewaystreet

ofseledprerogativesbelonginglargelytotheemployerhasbecomeaf-

terthetippingpointintheearlysatwowayboulevardofcomplex

anddemandinglegalresponsibilities

Anemployeewitha disability isstill requiredto productivelyper-

formt hecore aspects of herjob in orderto mainta int heemployment

relationship butt hat has nowb ecomes ubsumed by the considerable

obligationsacquiredbytheemployerthroughtheaccommodationduty

Tosatisfy these new legalresponsibilities anemployer hasto be pre-

paredtomakechangestotheorganizationofworktothetoolsrequired

toperform the particular jobtot heassign mentof dutiesfort hework

positiontothecontentandapplicationofworkpoliciesandeventothe

aitudesoftheworkforceAnd thepaceofc hangetriggeredby allthis

hasbeenprofoundHumanresourcepracticeshavebeenrevolutionized

asdisabilities andcapacitiesint heworkplacehavebecomeunderstood

ina nentirely new lightThe necessity ofaccommodation has spurred

on technological advances that have made the workplacemore acces-

sibleTheroleoflabourandemploymentlawyershasbecomeevenmore

integraltomakingworkplacesbeerrunandmoreinclusiveAndmost

remarkablythe legalpositionof employeesw ithdi sabilities hasb een

transformedfromsuerancetostatus

 Ashorttermdisablingconditionwouldusuallyimposeadutyupontheemployer

tomaintaint heemploymentrelationshipZe lisko v. TruckPartsEquipmentLtd

CCELBCSCHowevertherewasnolegalobligationontheem-

ployertoprovidemodicationstoth eexistingjobortosea rchdiligentlyforanot her

positionintheworkplacethatcouldaccommodatetheemployeeslimitations

 SeegenerallyKMacNei llTheDutytoAccommod ateinEmploymentlooseleafAu-

roraONCanadaLawBook

Disability and Work

Thesechangeshavecomeaboutinnosmallpartastheconsequence

ofa monumental changeinour social thin king towardsdisablement

Throughoutthenineteenthandtwentiethcenturiesouru nderstanding

ofdisabilitywasdominatedbytwoconceptualapproachesThebiomedi-

calmodel emphasizedt heindividual pathologyof the disability itself

and focused upon the provision of professional health ser vices This

modelunderstooddisabilityhoweversociallycomplexasrootedinbio-

medicallyexplainablephenomenaandproposeda nagendaofpreven-

tioncurecontain mentpainmanagementameliorationandpal liation

Theeconomic modelalsov ieweddisability as ani ndividualpathology

butfocused onthe interactionoft heimpairmenta ndtheex istingsup-

plysideconditionsofthelabourmarketInthisperspectiveadisability

wasseenasalimitationtoanemployeesrepertoireofproductivecapaci-

tiesabilities andskill stoadaptto mainstream societal structures and

reformwas thoughtofi nterms ofrehabilitation andmodeste conomic

integration Both models visualized d isability in terms of individual

deformitiesand limitationsa diminished deviationfrom theidealized

bodily norm The social policy approaches in spired by these models

wereinvariablyinformedbypitycharitysocialsegregationandgenteel

repulsion

Howeverbeginning int hesthe socio-political model emerged

tochallengetheseonceprevaili ngapproachesThismodelunderstands

disabilityasaformofsocialinjusticeaributabletothestigmatizingat-

titudesanddiscriminatorypracticesinthelargersocietyItcriticizesthe

biomedicalandeconomicmodelsbecausetheylocatedisablementsolely

withint herealmof thepersonw ithadisabilit yandignorethesign i-

cant role playedby societ y in constructi ng unnecessary a nd mutable

barriersintheworkplaceandotherenvironmentsDisablementitmain-

tainsisnotadeviationfromanindividualbodilynormasmuchasitisa

naturallyocc urringand enduringfeature ineverys ocietyhoweverre-

viledithas historicallybeen Thesocio-politicalmodelhassince become

partoft henewhuman rightsparadigminCanadian legalthinkingon

disability with the Supreme Court of Canada recognizi ng in Quebec

 SeegenerallyMRiouxFValentineDoesTheoryMaerExploringtheNexus

betweenDisabilityHumanRightsandPublicPolicyinDPothierRDevlineds

CriticalDisabilityThe oryEssaysinPhilosophyPoliticsPolicyandLawVancouverUBC

PressJBickenbachPhysical Disab ility and Social PolicyTorontoUniversity

ofTorontoPressMSullivanFromPersonalTragedytoSocialOppression

TheMedicalModelandSocialTheoriesofDisabilityNewZealandJournal

ofIndustrialRelationsandHHahnTowardsaPoliticsofDisabilityDeni-

tionsDisciplinesandPoliciesTheSocialScienceJournal