Page 8 - GBC summer 2018 english

Raquel Chisholm
Raquel is a lawyer with Emond Harnden LLP in Ottawa, Ontario. Raquel advises employers at both the Ontario and Federal jurisdictions in all areas of labour and employment law. Contact Raquel at 613-940-2755 or rchisholm@ehlaw.ca.
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Golf Business Canada
In recent weeks and months, the news has been lled with stories of high pro le athletes, politicians and Hollywood moguls whose careers have been destroyed by allegations of sexual harassment and, in some cases, allegations of much worse.
With the #MeToo movement, it is clear that society is becoming aware of the true scope of the issue of sexual harassment and the damage that has been caused to the victims of sexual harassment.
In some of the cases that have made the news, it should be obvi- ous to anyone that the behaviour in issue was inappropriate and unacceptable.
WHAT IS IT?
In most provinces in Canada, sexual harassment is de ned in human rights legislation. In some provinces (e.g., Ontario) it is also addressed in occupational health and safety legislation.
Although there are slight differences in the way that sexual harassment is de ned under vari- ous laws across Canada, one of the de nitions that is most often cited is taken from a 1989 Supreme Court of Canada decision.
However, there are other cases where the illegality of the conduct in question may be less clear. All of this raises questions about what behaviour will be found to consti- tute sexual harassment and what employers can and should do to prevent it from happening and how to respond when it does occur.
In this article, we will outline the laws with respect to sexual harassment in the workplace in Canada, and will set out what we consider to be some of the “best practices” that employers should consider implementing to prevent these sorts of behaviours and to ensure that, if they do occur, they are dealt with appropriately.
Sexual
Harassment
What Employers Need To Know