Canada's Employment Equity Act was originally passed in 1986 and substantially amended in 1995, receiving royal assent on 15 December 1995 and taking effect on 24 October 1996. It aims to achieve equality in the workplace so that no one is denied employment opportunities or benefits for reasons unrelated to ability, and it protects four designated groups: women, people with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, including Status Indians, non-status Indians, Metis and Inuit, and visible minorities. Rather than requiring only equal treatment, the act requires employers to take proactive, special measures and to accommodate differences among these groups. The term employment equity itself was coined by Judge Rosalie Abella during the 1984 Abella Commission, chosen deliberately to distinguish the Canadian approach from the American concept of affirmative action.
Facts
Enacted Year Enacted Date Jurisdiction Official Citation Legal StatusIn force (consolidated, last amended 2021-01-01) 1 Legal Status
Legal Status (category) Legal Status (category) Connections
In Legal System
Source Employment equity (Canada), Wikipedia
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Sources
1. Employment Equity Act, Justice Laws Website
Act header, statute citation year
S.C. 1995, c. 44
Act header, chapter number
S.C. 1995, c. 44
Currency line at top of the Act page
Current to 2026-07-21 and last amended on 2021-01-01.
View the Source2. Employment Equity Act, full text, Justice Laws Website
Act header, Assented to dateQuote, Act header, Assented to date
1995-12-15
3. Employment equity (Canada), Wikipedia
Introduction
Employment equity, as defined in federal Canadian law by the Employment Equity Act (French: Loi sur l'équité en matière d'emploi), requires federal jurisdiction employers to engage in proactive employment practices to increase the representation of four designated groups: women, people with disabilities, visible minorities, and Indigenous peoples.
Legislative history paragraph, enacting body
The Employment Equity Act was originally passed by the Parliament of Canada in 1986, and was amended in 1995.
In Group: Employment Equity Statutes of Canada and Japan, Introduction, sentence 1
Employment equity, as defined in federal Canadian law by the Employment Equity Act (French: Loi sur l’équité en matière d’emploi), requires federal jurisdiction employers to engage in proactive employment practices to increase the representation of four designated groups: women, people with disabilities, visible minorities, and Indigenous peoples.
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