Legal Services - Human Rights

In Canada, men and women are equal and have the same rights. These rights are described in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Any type of abuse - physical, mental or financial - of any person is illegal.

Many community agencies work to educate people about the rights of all Ontarians, including newcomers and their families. The Ontario Human Rights Code protects people against discrimination.

Discrimination means unfair treatment based on:
• Age
• Disability
• Ancestry
• Race
• Marital status
• Family status
• Country of origin
• Record of offenses (criminal record)
• Dependence on public assistance
• Religion
• Citizenship
• Ethnic origin
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

The Ontario Human Rights Code says that everyone has the right to freedom from discrimination when seeking services, goods and facilities, housing, contracts, employment and membership in groups.

For example, employer is NOT allowed to ask you about your original country, religion, family status (married or not) etc ... However, if you was asked in the interview about one of these and didn't get hired ... then you can complain to the Human Rights and then the company will be in a big trouble!

Anyway I will talk about employment and interviews in details in the Job Search Section.