What is workplace discrimination, and what constitutes discrimination against employees or job applicants? Employment discrimination happens when an employee or job candidate is treated unfavourably because of age, disability, genetic information, national origin, pregnancy, race or skin colour, religion, or sex. In addition, federal laws against discrimination protect workers from retaliation for “asserting their rights to be free from employment discrimination.” 

It is illegal to discriminate based on these protected characteristics when hiring or in the workplace.