Assignment task: Diane Ouellette, VP Food Service at Wilson Bros, Toronto Office, has come to you with a proposal. She has been concerned about the decrease in margins that have been occurring in the food service sector over the last few years as a result of intense price competition at many of Wilson Bros food service customers. As a result, she is looking for other opportunities to sell various Wilson Bros products, and has specifically targeted both the provincial and federal government. She believes she could obtain a large federal government contract for food service products on behalf of the company. She has heard, however, that obtaining a federal government contract may have implications on other areas of the business, including the recruitment of employees, so she has come to you for guidance in this regard. She has been advised as well that should her sales efforts be successful, she would require a significant increase in staff including management, direct sales personnel, and support staff at the Toronto sales location. She wants to get started right away. You are aware, however, that you should provide information on all key elements of the legislation involved that impact on recruitment, in addition to those which may be related to a federal government contract.
Diane has asked for an executive summary from you, outlining the legislation that she will need to consider in the hiring process. Upon reviewing this request, you have determined that the summary needs to contain information on the Ontario Human Rights Code (1990) and the federal Employment Equity Act (1995).
Case Scenario written by Charles Purchase, Seneca College; edited by Robert D. Winkler, Seneca College
Q1. What are the major provisions of the Ontario Human Rights Code (1990) and the federal Employment Equity Act (1995) that impact on the recruitment and selection of employees?
Q2. Outline and briefly explain three action items (in specific terms) you would recommend the company implement to ensure compliance with both the Ontario Human Rights Code (1990) and the federal Employment Equity Act (1995).
Q3. What are the penalties for non-compliance for each piece of legislation?