For many jobs, a person with a disability can be at a natural disadvantage when competing with an able-bodied person. One group that is deserving of employment equity are persons with disabilities. There are cases where reducing economic inequality between groups can be justified. (A 2016 study found that University graduates are more likely to earn a higher income than someone who has less education.) Consequently, one major cause of unequal incomes between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals is the average difference in education levels. The average differences between groups is what causes different economic outcomes.Ĭase in point: According to Stats Canada, 9.8% of Aboriginal people had a University degree in 2011, in comparison to 26.5% of non-Aboriginals. These include where a person lives, their career choice, level of education, family structure, and lifestyle choices. This makes it less likely that discrimination is a major cause of inequality.Įconomic inequality has many causal factors. In a racially diverse country like Canada, an increasing number of people in power aren’t white males. Hence, many acts of discrimination by white males in power are offset by women and minorities in power who do the same. However, if white males in power sometimes discriminate against women and minorities, the opposite is also true: Women and minorities in power sometimes give preferential treatment to members of their own group. This discrimination is often labelled as institutional racism: conscious or unconscious biases that people in power have against minority groups. It ignores the reality that there are white males have lower economic outcomes than many members of the four groups.Įmployment equity is founded on the theory that economic inequality is primarily due to systemic discrimination. The Employment Equity Act gives four groups preferential treatment in hiring because “on average” they have lower economic outcomes than white males. The legislation violates Section 15 (1) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the right to “equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination.” Although Section 15 (2) allows for employment equity legislation, it is not always just to discriminate. In other words, employers are required to give preferential treatment in hiring to anyone who isn’t a white male. The legislation requires that employers increase representation among four groups: “women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities.” The Employment Equity Act applies to jobs that are federally regulated.