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Grounds Covered by the BC Human Rights Code

The Code protects people from discrimination that is based on certain protected characteristics, or grounds, in different areas of life, including in employment. This means that an employer cannot discriminate against you based on one or more of the protected characteristics. 

In any given situation, there could be limits or exceptions to be aware of, but you will find a general description of the protected characteristics in the area of employment below:

1. Race, colour, place of origin, and ancestry Sometimes these characteristics are grouped together in a complaint. This can include a country outside of Canada that someone is from, or that someone’s family is from, race, or ethnicity. 

An employer who makes comments based on stereotypes related to a certain ethnicity could be an example of discrimination based on these characteristics. 

2. Indigenous identity An example of discrimination might include an employer who  enforces a policy or dress code that characterizes aspects someone’s Indigenous culture or attributes as unprofessional or inappropriate for work. 
3. Age An example of discrimination could include an employer who does not hire a qualified applicant that is much older, in favour of a less qualified applicant who is younger. Generally, this characteristic refers to those ages 19 years and older. 
4. Mental Disability An example might include an employer who makes certain assumptions about an employee based on their mental health, such as treating an employee as unreliable when they take sick days for their mental health.
5. Physical Disability An example of discrimination could include an employer who fails to make their workplace accessible to employees that use a wheelchair. 
6. Family Status Family status can refer to discrimination based on who you are related to, or a certain type of family (for example a family with children, a single mother, and so on). 

An example could include an employer who refuses to accommodate their employee so that they can care for their sick child, or an employer who refuses to promote a qualified employee because the employer has a personal conflict with the employee’s family member. 

7. Sex Includes discrimination based on being female, male, intersex, and also includes sexual harassment.

For example, an employer who fails to or refuses to address sexual harassment that has been reported to them.

8. Gender Identity and expression Can include any gender identity. Discrimination on this ground can include transphobic conduct or comments, discriminatory enforcement of a company dress code, bullying and harassment based on someone’s gender expression, and more.
9. Sexual Orientation An example of discrimination could be an employer who repeatedly doesn’t address an employee’s homophobic conduct at work
10. Marital Status Includes discrimination that is based on whether someone is married, divorced, single, widowed, and so on. Discrimination on this ground might include an employer who acts based on negative assumptions related to someone’s marital status, or who denies an employee an opportunity because of their marital status. 
11. Religion Also protects someone who does not have religious beliefs. One example of discrimination could be an employer who refuses to accommodate an employee’s work schedule in order to attend church on Sunday’s. 
13. Political Belief This refers to association with partisan politics, but is also more inclusive of beliefs that could be considered political in nature. It could also include engagement with Government, such as advocacy for a change in legislation. 

For example, an employer might be discriminating against an employee if they fire them because they voted for someone their employer does not like.