LGBT Discrimination – Know The Laws Of Your Province
Saskatchewan and Manitoba are the only provinces that don’t expressly ban gender expression discrimination.
Federal employment discrimination laws in the US don’t expressly protect LGBT people. To the extent such protections exist, they’re based on state laws banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Unfortunately, these aren’t protected grounds in all states. By contrast, human rights laws in Canada do specifically cover sexual orientation, gender identity and, in all but 2 provinces (Manitoba and Saskatchewan), gender expression as well. Such protections may also be implied under the ban on age and marital status discrimination. Here are the LGBT-related protected characteristics contained in the human rights laws of each separate jurisdiction. Go to the HR Insider site for a template policy you can adapt to ban LGBT discrimination in your own workplace.
HUMAN RIGHTS LGBT DISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS ACROSS CANADA
FEDERAL
Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status (Canadian Human Rights Act, Sec. 3(1))
ALBERTA
Gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status (Alberta Human Rights Act, Sec. 7(1))
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status (Human Rights Code, Sec. 13(1))
MANITOBA
Sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status (Human Rights Code, Sec. 9(2))
NEW BRUNSWICK
Marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression (Human Rights Act, Sec. 2.1)
NEWFOUNDLAND
Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status (Human Rights Act, Sec. 9(1))
NOVA SCOTIA
Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status (Human Rights Act, Sec. 5(1))
ONTARIO
Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status (Human Rights Code, Sec. 5(1))
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status (Human Rights Code, Sec. 1(d))
QUÉBEC
Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, civil status (Charter of Human Rights & Freedoms, Sec. 10)
SASKATCHEWAN
Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status (Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, Sec. 2(1))
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status (Human Rights Act, Sec. 5(1))
NUNAVUT
Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status (Human Rights Act, Sec. 7(1))
YUKON
Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status (Human Rights Act, Sec. 7)