Northwest Territories
Equal Employment Opportunity

Overview

Please review the information below and then return to the workplace harassment and violence prevention course.

Applicable Laws

The primary Northwest Territories law prohibiting employment discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of any protected ground is the Northwest Territories Human Rights Act.

The Northwest Territories Occupational Health and Safety Regulations prohibit harassment and violence in the workplace.

Protected Grounds

Harassment or discrimination based on any ground set forth below is prohibited in the Northwest Territories

Age
Disability
Race
Colour
Ancestry
Place of origin
Ethnic origin
Nationality
Sex
Sexual orientation
Gender identity
Gender expression
Family status
Family affiliation
Marital status
Social condition
Religion
Creed
Political belief
Political association
Pardoned criminal conviction
Record suspension

Some provincial or territorial laws provide additional, separate standards and remedies for certain prohibited conduct, such as laws addressing equal pay without regard to sex or other protected ground.

Definitions of Harassment and Violence

Harassment includes vexatious comments or conducts that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome by the individual or class

Violence includes attempted, threatened or actual conduct of an individual that causes or is likely to cause injury, such as a threatening statement or behaviour that gives a worker a reasonable belief that he or she is at risk of injury.

Filing a Claim in the Northwest Territories

A claim for employment discrimination or harassment based on a protected ground may be filed with the Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission.

A claim related to workplace violence, including harassment, may be filed with the Northwest Territories Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission.

Retaliation Prohibited

Employer retaliation against an employee who files a complaint relating to harassment or workplace violence or is involved in the complaint process is unlawful.

Northwest Territories Equal Employment Opportunity