When you finally have a job interview after arriving in Canada, it can be an exciting time. This is especially true if you are on a low budget or have people who require financial assistance.
Because of this, foreigners looking for work in Canada are frequently put in a vulnerable position where they may ignore their rights to work in Canada. However, if you know your rights and demand that they be honoured, you may find a better workplace in the long run.
Every province and territory has a labour and employment law office that must follow the Canada Human Rights Act.
Discrimination by employers is prohibited.
The Human Rights Act of Canada states that no one may be discriminated against on the basis of their race, place of origin or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital and family status, disability, or financial circumstances.
Avoiding discrimination during job looking is as simple as not including any personal information on your résumé, such as your age, marital status, living conditions, or an image. In Canada, these are not frequently listed on a CV. Employers are supposed to evaluate candidates only on professional skills such as job experience and education.
In a job interview, you should only be asked questions on the job for which you are interviewing. To avoid bias and discrimination, the Ontario Human Rights Commission recommended that firms create a list of questions and desired answers before beginning interviews.
Illegal question examples
The Canada Human Resources Commission explains some of the questions that employers are not entitled to ask, but also provides options for employers to gather critical information.
Citizenship
To begin, a potential employer is not permitted to question about your citizenship status, country of birth, or major language. They may, however, inquire as to whether you are authorized to work in Canada and whether you are fluent in a language other than the one in which you are being interviewed.
Age
Furthermore, they are not permitted to inquire about your age or birthday. In certain countries, providing this information on a CV is expected, but leaving it out can help avoid bias. The only information the company requires is that you are of legal working age. This is accomplished by inquiring if you are between the ages of 18 and 64.
Your Health
Employers are not permitted to inquire about your weight, height, or health. This includes any disability-related inquiries. An employer cannot inquire about a candidate’s physical or mental disability, and they must make every attempt to accommodate them throughout the interview process. Instead, they may detail some of the everyday activities you will be expected to undertake and ask if you can complete them and how you plan to do so.
Questions about your family or marriage status
An interviewer should never ask someone about their marital status, who they live with (their names or genders), if they have children (or how many), or childcare arrangements. These queries can lead to gender or sexual orientation prejudice.
From a business standpoint, it is critical that an employee work their agreed-upon hours or overtime as needed. are not required to reveal your family responsibilities, merely that you are available to work.
You are not compelled to inform a potential employer if you are pregnant, and you will not be rejected employment if you can demonstrate that you are the best qualified candidate. You cannot be fired or laid off if you declare a pregnancy after being employed.
Religion
A potential employer may not inquire about your religion or faith, or whether you will require time off for religious observances. They may inquire as to whether you are available to work at a given time or on a specific day of the week. Again, you are not required to explain why you are unavailable to an employer.
How to Deal with Illegal Questions
You have the right to refuse to answer any illegal question. According to Monster.ca, a famous job search website, you can simply indicate you are not comfortable answering the question, or you can respond by asking how the response is relevant to the position. The vast majority of employers will back down and shift the issue. This, however, may cause stress in the interview and result in you not receiving the job.
Monster suggests deflecting if you don’t want to take a firm stand against a question. It states, for example, that if an interviewer asks you where you are from or your nationality, utilize that chance to mention to any international experience you have that will provide the company a competitive advantage.
