Chapter 2: Changing Legal Emphasis Flashcards
In Canada, a survey of 451 HR professionals indicated that the most critical piece of knowledge required in a HR role was
business acumen
The primary objective of most employment legislation in Canada is to
prevent employers from exploiting paid workers, assuming that an implicit power imbalance exists in the employment relationship (in favour of the employer).
The government’s role is to balance employee and employer needs through the development and maintenance of employment legislation
Employer side: Have a right to modify employee work terms and arrangements according to legitimate business needs
Employees side: Have a right to be protected from harmful business practices
Who sets the legislation?
The government!
Stare decisis
The decision of a higher court (e.g., the Supreme Court of Canada) can act as the binding authority on a lower court (e.g., provincial courts)decisions within that same jurisdiction
Precedent
The decision of interpretation of a court of another jurisdiction can act as a persuasive authority regarding how legislation is to be interpreted and applied in other jurisdictions
The broadest level of guaranteed protection for all persons residing in Canada is
Constitutional law, particularly the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
All employers must abide by them because they are fundamental, guaranteed rights to all persons residing in Canada
Provincial and territorial Human Rights legislation
ensure that the rights of every Canadian are protected and that all persons are treated with equality and respect
Protection from discrimination in employment relationships and the delivery of goods and services
Employment Standards Acts
Establishes minimum terms and conditions of the employment relationship within each jurisdiction (such as minimum wages, hours of work, maternity leave)
vary slightly by jurisdiction
For example, vacations, statutory holidays, and minimum wage standards are legislated in all jurisdictions, but entitlements vary based on jurisdiction
Contract law
which governs collective agreements and individual employment contracts.
imposes specific requirements and constraints on management and employee policies, procedures, and practices
Layers of Canadian Legislation
- -Affects the general Population–
1) Canadian charter of rights and freedom
2) Human rights legislation
3) Employment standard legislation
4) Ordinary laws
5) Collective bargaining agreement
6) Employment Contract - -Affects specific employees or conditions–
Numbers are not weighted by number
Tort law
primarily judge based law, whereby a victim is provided compensation for losses or damages in civil court (not criminal court)
how many categories are there of tort law?
2
What are the 2 categories of tort law?
1) Intentional torts
2) unintentional torts
1) Intentional torts
(e.g., assault, battery, trespass, and intentional affliction of mental distress)
2) unintentional torts
(e.g., negligence based on events in which harm is caused by carelessness)
Regulations
Legally binding rules established by special regulatory bodies created to enforce compliance with the law and aid in its interpretation
Created by parties such as the ministries of labour and human rights commissions
Employees often choose to view the regulations as a _______ and expect to receive ______ than the minimum requirements (more than the minimum wage, minimum entitlement for vacation days, minimum entitlement for severance pay, etc.)
statutory floor
higher
In contrast, _______ often prefer to view legislated guidelines as a _______ and align maximum commitment levels to the minimums established in the guidelines
employers
contractual ceiling
_______ makes it illegal to discriminate, even unintentionally, against various groups
Human rights legislation
Reactive (complaint driven) in nature, the focus of such legislation is on the types of acts in which employers should not engage. Included in this category are:
1) The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, federal legislation that is the cornerstone of human rights in Canada, and
2) Human rights legislation, which is present in every jurisdiction.
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Federal law enacted in 1982 that guarantees fundamental freedoms to all Canadians
The cornerstone of human rights is the ___________
Constitution Act
What important charter is in the Constitution Act
Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies to what levels of government?
All levels!!
federal, provincial and territorial, and municipal
What takes precedence over all other laws?
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms
2 exceptions to the charter taking precedence over all other laws
1) Since “demonstrably justified” and “reasonable” are open to interpretation, many issues challenged under the Charter eventually end up before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Charter’s ultimate interpreter
2) The second exception occurs when a legislative body invokes the “notwithstanding” provision, which allows the legislation to be exempted from challenge under the Charter.
The Charter provides the following fundamental rights and freedoms to every Canadian, including but not limited to:
1) Freedom of conscience and religion,
2) Freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and other communication media,
3) Freedom of peaceful assembly, and
4) Freedom of association.
In addition, the Charter provides
Canadian multicultural heritage rights,
First Nations’ rights,
minority language education rights,
equality rights,
the right to live and work anywhere in Canada,
the right to due process in criminal proceedings,
and the right to democracy.
Equality rights
Found in section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the right to equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination
Discrimination
A distinction, exclusion, or preference based on any of the prohibited grounds and has the effect of nullifying or impairing the right of a person to full and equal recognition and exercise of his or her human rights and freedoms
Human rights legislation
Jurisdiction-specific legislation that prohibits intentional and unintentional discrimination in employment situations and in the delivery of goods and services
Who is protected by the human rights legislation?
Every person residing in Canada
An important feature of human rights legislation is that it
supersedes the terms of any employment contract or collective agreement
________ prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion or creed, sex, marital status, age, disability, and sexual orientation
All jurisdictions
________ prohibit discrimination on the basis of family status, nationality, ethnic origin, and various other grounds.
Some, but not all, jurisdictions further
When someone is accused of discrimination, how how they been percieved?
He or she is perceived to be acting in an unfair or prejudiced manner within the context of prohibited grounds for discrimination
Employment discrimination
intergroup biases that occur because of social group memberships, which often creates an identity of how we define and see ourselves versus others
For example, if an employee were discriminated against based on his or her ethnicity/race or gender, then this would be a violation of ____________ since ethnicity, race, and gender are protected grounds
the human rights laws
In comparison, if a person were discriminated against for wearing a purple top to work, this would fall outside the scope of __________, therefore the human rights legislation would not be directly violated.
human rights legislation
Can an employer intentionally discriminate on someone?
An employer cannot discriminate directly by deliberately refusing to hire, train, or promote an individual on any of the prohibited grounds
Example of subtle indirect discrimination
For example, if a 60-year-old applicant is not selected for a job and is told that there was a better-qualified candidate, it is often difficult for the rejected job seeker to determine if someone else truly did more closely match the firm’s specifications or if the employer discriminated on the basis of age.
Differential or unequal treatment
Treating an individual differently in any aspect of terms and conditions of employment based on any of the prohibited grounds
Is an employer prohibited or not prohibited from intentional discrimination in the form of differential or unequal treatment?
An employer is also prohibited from intentional discrimination in the form of differential or unequal treatment.
Example of differential or unequal treatment
For example, it is illegal for an employer to request that only female applicants for a factory job demonstrate their lifting skills or to insist that any candidates with a physical disability undergo a pre-employment medical exam, unless all applicants are being asked to do so.
It is ________ for an employer to engage in intentional discrimination indirectly through another party.
illegal
Example of indirectly discriminating through a third party
For example, an employer cannot request that an employment agency refer only male candidates for consideration as management trainees or instruct supervisors that racial minorities are to be excluded from consideration for promotions.
Discrimination because of association
Denial of rights because of friendship or other relationship with a protected group member
Is Discrimination because of association a form of intentional or unintentional discrimination
Intentional discrimination
Example of Discrimination because of association
An example would be the refusal of a firm to promote a highly qualified male into senior management on the basis of the assumption that his wife, who was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, will require too much of his time and attention and that her needs may restrict his willingness to travel on company business.
Unintentional Discrimination is also known as
Constructive discrimination
or
Systematic discrimination
Unintentional discrimination
Discrimination that is embedded in policies and practices that appear neutral on the surface and are implemented impartially, but have an adverse impact on specific groups of people for reasons that are not job related or required for the safe and efficient operations of the business
_______ is the most difficult detect and combat
Unintentional Discrimination
Examples of systematic discrimination
- Minimum height and weight requirements
- Internal hiring policies or word-of-mouth hiring in workplaces that have embraced diversity
- Limited accessibility to company premises (aka not wheel chair friendly)
- Job evaluation systems that are not neutral
Bona fide occupational requirement (BFOR)
SUPER IMPORTANT
A justifiable reason for discrimination based on business necessity (i.e required for the safe and efficient operation of the organization) or a requirement that can be clearly defended as intrinsically required by the tasks an employee is expected to perform
Examples of bona fide occupational requirement (BFOR)
AKA Bona fide occupational qualifications (BFOQ)
A person who is blind cannot be employed to drive a truck
When casting in the theatre, there may be specific roles that justify using age, sex, or national origin as a recruitment or selection criterion
The _______ case established three criteria that are now used to assess if the discrimination qualifies as a BFOR
Meiorin
Three criteria from the meiorin case
1) Question of rationale
2) Question of good faith
3) Question of reasonable necessity
1) Question of rationale
Was the policy or procedure that resulted in the discrimination based on a legitimate, work-related purpose?
2) Question of good faith
Did the decision makers or other agents of the organization honestly believe that the requirement was necessary to fulfill the requirements of the role?
3) Question of reasonable necessity
Was it impossible to accommodate those who have been discriminated against without imposing undue hardship on the employer?
Reasonable Accommodation
The adjustment of employment policies and practices that an employer may be expected to make so that no individual is denied benefits, disadvantaged in employment, or prevented from carrying out the essential components of a job because of grounds prohibited in human rights legislation
An important feature of _______ is the requirement for reasonable accommodation
human rights legislation
Examples of accommodations (as in Reasonable accommodation)
Accommodation may involve scheduling adjustments to accommodate religious beliefs or workstation redesign to enable an individual with a physical disability to perform a particular task.
Undue hardship
The point to which employers are expected to accommodate employees under human rights legislative requirements
In simple: meaning that the financial cost of the accommodation (even with outside sources of funding) or health and safety risks to the individual concerned or other employees would make accommodation impossible
Failure to make every reasonable effort to accommodate employees is a violation of human rights legislation in _________
all Canadian jurisdictions.
In claims of discrimination, it does not matter if the protected grounds were the primary or heaviest weighted factor in the decision being challenged, or if it was one of many considerations made in the decision. Explain why?
If there were 20 criteria used to make a decision, and even one of those criteria violated protection against discrimination as per the applicable human rights legislation, then the entire decision made by the employer can be deemed illegal
Claims of discrimination based on ______ make up almost half of all human rights claims.
disability
What is a disability, what are the kinds?
A disability may be present from birth, caused by an accident, or develop over time and may include (depending on the jurisdiction) physical, mental, and learning disabilities; mental disorders; hearing or vision disabilities; epilepsy; drug and alcohol dependencies; environmental sensitivities; as well as other conditions.
___________ are generally not considered to be disabilities under human rights legislation (unless related to a workplace safety claim)
Temporary illnesses
Are mental disorders part of the definition of a disability
Yes, even temporary ones
The Supreme Court of Canada has suggested three broad inquiries to determine if discrimination has taken place:
1) Differential treatment:
2) An enumerated ground (a condition or clause that is explicitly protected by legislation):
3) Discrimination in a substantive sense: