Human Rights

Lawson Lundell’s Labour and Employment Group has experience in dealing with human rights issues for both provincially and federally regulated employers. Our lawyers provide advice on identifying human rights issues in the workplace such as the duty to accommodate and the application of human rights legislation, assist with the investigation process of both formal and informal complaints and intra-employee misconduct, help clients establish and implement harassment, alcohol and drug testing and absenteeism policies and procedures, and train investigators, supervisors and managers on how to investigate and manage human rights claims.

Members of our group act as counsel throughout the investigation, mediation and hearing process at the BC Human Rights Tribunal, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, the Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission and Northwest Territories Human Rights Adjudication Panel.

Experience

• Represented an employer in the mining industry in successfully defending a federal gender discrimination and pay equity complaint
• Assisted employers with drafting and implementing workplace harassment policies including providing training for investigators
• Represented joint trusteed health and benefit plans and pension plans in defending claims alleging age discrimination in the amendment of plan terms, the adjudication of claims and administration of pension plan benefits
• Represented employers in defending human rights claims relating to sexual harassment including related to pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital and family status, age, gender, religion, place of origin, criminal conviction and physical and mental disability including the duty to accommodate
• Successfully defended a company and its manager in front of the BC Human Rights Tribunal against a false allegation of sexual harassment