When can jobs discriminate against a protected class?
<p>In Canada the <a href="http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/H-6/FullText.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Human Rights Act</a> protects against discrimination relating to</p>
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<p>race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability and conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or in respect of which a record suspension has been ordered.</p>
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<p>Despite this, I know certain job types that routinely discriminate based on sex. For example (at least where I live) jobs to promote certain products face to face in public venues often specify 'male' or 'female'. Also when hiring actors for film, they hire based on skin colour and sex (e.g. a military scene probably has mainly males). Wouldn't non-co-ed sports teams technically be in violation too? Are there exceptions to the law to allow such activities?</p>

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<p><strong>Exceptions</strong></p>
<p><strong>15 (1)</strong> It is not a discriminatory practice if</p>
<p>(a) any refusal, exclusion, expulsion, suspension, limitation, specification or preference in relation to any employment is established by an employer to be based on a bona fide occupational requirement;</p>
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<p>Actors fall clearly within the exemption - when casting Othello you are allowed to advertise for a reasonably young black man. Other “bona fide occupational requirement” can be more problematical.</p>
<p>By the way, similar exemptions are pretty much universal in all jurisdictions.</p>

employment canada discrimination