Recently, the Supreme Court recognized the changing nature of employment relationships and that harassment and discrimination can occur at work whether coming from a boss, co-worker, or fellow contractor.
The Case
In British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal v. Schrenk, 2017 SCC 62
Mohammadreza Sheikhzadeh-Mashgoul worked as a civil engineer consultant. He worked on a job site where he supervised workers who were not employed by his engineering firm. One of these workers, Edward Schrenk, repeatedly made discriminatory comments to Mr. Sheikhzadeh-Mashgoul about his religion, sexual orientation, and birthplace. Eventually, he brought a human rights complaint against Schrenk and Schrenk’s employer.
The case went all the way to the Supreme Court. Schrenk and his employer argued that they had no relationship to Mr. Sheikhzadeh-Mashgoul and that since they were not his employer he could not bring a claim against them.
The Supreme Court disagreed. It held that the BC Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination in the employment context. The Court said that the Code “protects individuals from discriminatory conduct regarding their employment no matter the identity of the perpetrator.” The Court continued that an individual may bring a human rights complaint if the
- perpetrator was integral to the complainant’s workplace;
- the discrimination occurred in the complainant’s workplace; and
- the individual’s work performance or work environment was negatively affected.
Lessons
Of importance, the Ontario Human Rights Code is worded in a similar manner to that of BC. So, if you are working as an employee or contractor in Ontario and you experience harassment or discrimination, you may be able to bring a claim against the perpetrator regardless of whether they are your manager or colleague.
If you have experienced discrimination or harassment and are considering your legal options, you should consult a lawyer or contact us at [email protected] or 647-204-8107 and one of our lawyers would be happy to assist you.
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