Workplace Harassment Law in Ontario

• Author: Soma Ray-Ellis and Matthew A. Biderman
• Pages: 135-187



WorkplaceHarassmentLaw

in Ontario

SomaRayEllisandMahewABiderman*

A. INTRODUCTION

Theevolutionofworkplaceharassmentandhumanrightslawprovides

afascinatinglookatsocietysstereotypesaboutgenderandraceandour

needtomovebeyondthemInarecentarticlepublishedbytheRotman

SchoolofManagementJenniferBerdahlnotedthattheoriginalproto-

typeofsexualharassmentwhichsuggeststhatthemostfrequentlytar-

getedwomenarethosewhomeetphysicalandpersonalitycharacteristics

ofgender ideals does notcapture t hereal ity oft heworkplace In her

researchshendsthatThemostcommonformofsexualharassment

appearsto be motivated byhosti lity towardthose who violate gender

idealsrather t han by desire for those who meet themThisphenom-

enonshesaysismoreproperlyreferredtoasgenderharassmentSocial

scienceresearchsuchasthishascontributedtothedevelopmentofanti

harassmentlawtheaimofwhichisgreaterfairnessintheworkplacefor

womenminoritiesandotherswhomaybetargetsofharassment

Thispaperprovidesareviewofantiworkplaceharassmentlawin

Ontariowithaspecicfocusonthetwomostcommonlylitigatedforms

* SomaRayEllisistheheadoftheEmploymentandPrivacyandPublicLawGroup

atPatersonMacDougallLLPwheresheisapartnerMahewBidermanisanas-

sociatelawyerwithPatersonMacDougallLLP

 JenniferBerdahlTheEvolutionofHarassmentintheWorkplaceRotman: The

MagazineoftheRotmanSchoolofManagementWinterat

SREMAB

sexual and racial harassment Wh ile harassment claims based on t he

otherenumeratedgroundsarelitigatedlessfrequentlythelegislation

andmuchofthejurisprudenceisapplicabletoallformsofworkplace

harassmentregardlessofthespecicground

Currentlyhumanrightslawandtheregimeinplacetolitigatethese

issuesareundergoingsignicanttransitionAmendmentstotheOntario

Human Rights CodereceivedRoyalAssentonDecemberunder

theHumanRightsCodeAmendmentActalsoreferredtoasBill

Generallyspeakingtheamendmentsservetoabolishthewideinvesti-

gationandscreeningfunctionoftheOntarioHumanRightsCommis-

siontheCommissionrevisethepowersandproceduresoftheHuman

RightsTribunalofOntariotheTribunalandprovidedirectaccessto

the Tribunal for applications alleging inf ringement of the Codesdis-

criminationandharassmentprovisionsWhereappropriatethispaper

examinesspecicamendmentstotheCodethatareofparticularinterest

forworkplaceharassmentlawEachoftheseamendmentswillcomeinto

forceonadatetobenamedbytheLieutenantGovernorAtthistimeno

suchdatehasbeennamed

Thepaperisseparatedintothreemainpartsanoverviewofthe

central provisions of the Code addressingworkplace harassment a

reviewofworkplaceharassmentjurisprudenceinOntariowithaspe-

cicfocusonsexualandracialharassmentandananalysisofrecent

developmentsinOntario



CODE

Harassmentisasubsetorformofdiscriminationandaccordinglytri-

bunalshaveappliedtheCodesgeneralemploymentdiscriminationpro-

visioninconjunctionwiththeCodesspecicharassmentprovisionsto

 SeessandoftheOntarioHuman Rights Codeinfra noteforanexhaustive

listoftheenumeratedgrounds

 RSOcHCode

 SOcHRCAAPursuanttossscameinto

forceandeectonDecemberPursuanttosssandwill

comeintoforceandeectonadatetobenamedbytheLieutenantGovernorAt

thetimeofwritingadatehasnotbeennamed

 SeetheexplanatorynoteinBillatthirdreadingcurrentlyavailableonline

wwwontlaoncadocumentsBillsParliamentsessionindexhtmbill

 HRCAA supra notes

WorkplaceHarassmentLawinOntario

workplaceharassmentscenariosThegeneralemploymentdiscrimina-

tionprovisionislocatedatsection

Everypersonhasarighttoequaltreatmentwithrespecttoem-

ployment without discrimi nation because of race ancestr yplace of

origincolourethnicorigincitizenshipcreedsexsexualorientation

agerecordofoencesmaritalstatusfamilystatusordisability

Whileharassmentisaformofdiscriminationitreceivesseparatetreat-

mentfromthelegislatureundertheCodeHarassmentisdenedatsec-

tion

harassmentmeansengaginginacourseofvexatiouscomment

orconductthatisknownoroughtreasonablytobeknowntobeun-

welcome

Racialharassmentintheworkplaceisspecicallyprohibitedundersec-

tion

Everypersonwhoisanemployeehasarighttofreedomfromharassment

in the workplacebytheemployeroragentoftheemployerorbyanother

employeebecause of raceancestryplaceoforigincolourethnicorigin

citizenshipcreedagerecordofoencesmaritalstatusfamilystatus

ordisability

Ascanbeseenharassmentonthebasisofsexisnotincludedinthispro-

visionTheprohibitionagainstworkplacesexualharassmentandinap-

propriategenderrelatedcommentandconductislegislatedseparately

andlocatedundersectionArelatedprohibitionagainstsexualso-

licitationoradvancebyapersoninapositiontoconfergrantordeny

benetisfoundundersectionaAreprisalorthreatofreprisalfor

therejectionofasexualsolicitationoradvancebyapersoninaposition

toconfergrantordenybenetisprohibitedundersectionb

Everypersonwhoisanemployeehasarighttofreedomfromharassment

intheworkplacebecauseofsexbyhisorheremployeroragentoftheem-

ployerorbyanotheremployee

Everypersonhasarighttobefreefrom

a asexualsolicitationoradvancemadebyapersoninapositionto

confergrantordenyabenetoradvancementtothepersonwhere

 Supranote

 Ibid. emphasisaddedSeealsotherelatedgroundsofplaceoforigincolour

ethnicoriginandcreedthatcanallbesaidtofallgenerallywithinthecategoryof

racialdiscrimination