Media Room

Employment Equity and Preventing Discrimination

The last three years have been a time of important change and transformation for the Commission. We have worked hard to make our complaint-handling processes more effective, efficient and fair, and have succeeded in generating a synergy across the Commission by integrating the expertise, knowledge and resources available in different parts of our organization.

Now, as we head into the next phase of our transformation, we intend to build on these successes in other areas of our work, including the employment equity compliance program. This program is responsible for conducting compliance audits of all employers subject to the Employment Equity Act in order to determine whether or not they are complying with the legislation, and to require action when they fail to do so. The Act applies to four designated groups: women, Aboriginal peoples, visible minorities and persons with disabilities.

Audits conducted under the Employment Equity Act allow the Commission to identify systemic discrimination, as well as barriers to employment and best practices in overcoming those barriers. Through its employment equity program, the Commission also supports employers in developing and maintaining human rights-related policies and practices.

This fits in with the Commission’s increased focus on developing positive, productive relationships with federally regulated employers and service providers in order to prevent discrimination from occurring in the first place. In this role, the Commission works with organizations to inform them on equality issues, identify problem areas and provide them with tools to improve the human rights culture in their organizations. An updated, streamlined employment equity audit process will be an essential part of the Commission’s new Discrimination Prevention program, reflecting our commitment to ensuring that employers and employee representatives comply with their obligations under the Employment Equity Act, and that human rights and equality are respected in the workplace.