Legal remedies at Human Rights Commissions.

• Date: 01 September 2016
• Author: Bowal, Peter

Introduction

Canada has one federal and separate provincial and territorial Human Rights Commissions established and governed by their respective enabling legislation. These human rights commissions exist to protect human rights, prevent discrimination, foster equality and resolve complaints. The various versions of human rights legislation are fundamentally similar across the country.

This article describes the legal remedies that may be ordered in Canada for illegal employer discrimination in the workplace. To simplify, only the federal (applies only to federally-regulated workers) and Alberta legislation will be compared here.

Scope and Purpose of Remedies

Both Commissions seek to work with the worker and employer to reach mutual understanding and resolution through mediation. If this fails, the Commissions send the matter to their respective quasi-judicial Tribunal for ultimate adjudication.

Both Commissions protect employees from discrimination based on race, ancestry, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, and disability. The federal level additionally protects workers from discrimination based on a conviction on an offence for which a pardon has been granted and Alberta protects from discrimination based on source of income.

Human rights legislation "recognizes and affirms that all persons are equal in dignity and rights" [Walsh v Mobil Oil Canada, 2013 ABCA 238], but it is not meant to punish employers [Robichaud v Canada (1987) 2 SCR 84]. Legal remedies ordered by commissions are remedial in nature and are meant to restore workers to the position they would have been in if the discrimination had not occurred. The remedies are also educational and serve to deter future infractions. While the remedies are not intended to punish employers, they can be substantial sanctions to demonstrate public denunciation of human rights violations.

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