Private Sector RightsEveryone has the rights to be treated fairly irrespective of their race, sex, religion, national origin in Canada. There are various type of laws enforced by the federal governments to ensure and protect the privacy of individual. Government organization and agencies are responsible for the enforcement of these laws. Canada Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on different factors. Federal govt program and Employment Equity Act asks employers to improve the opportunities for special groups at work place. In Canada, rights of foreign workers is protected and regulated by federal or provincial labour laws.The different types of Private Sector Rights enforced in Canada are Privacy Act and Personal Information Protection and Electronic Document Act.Privacy Act:This act basically means how the public sector organizations such as govt agencies deals with the privacy or personal information of individual.
Under Privacy Act individual has all the rights to access and alter the information that is being hold by organizations or agencies. In Canada all the provinces have their own public sector privacy legislationPIPEDA:This act governs how the private sector organizations deals with the personal information of individual. Under PIPEDA, no organization can collect or disclose the information about individual without their consent or permission.Territorial government in Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia has very similar private sector public legislation, therefore provincial laws are applied here rather than PIPEDA. But if information is to be shared to any other state or country then PIPEDA is applied. Manitoba has also passed private sector information protection legislation and will be enforced very soon.
In addition to Private Sector Rights, some of the provinces have their own healthcare policies which should must be followed by all the private organization whereas some provinces trying to get the designation that could be similar to PIPEDA. The health specific legislation allows individual to access and record their personal information with health insurance providers. In province of Ontario, Labrador and New Brunswick health specific legislation is very much similar to PIPEDA. Family and Medical Leave Act:FMLA is a federal law under which some employees are allowed for 12 months of unpaid leave without any fear of being fired. But to get the benefit of FMLA, employee must have completed 12 months or 1250 hours of work with the company which have atleast 50 employees.The Canada Labour Code:The Canadian labour code covers all the individuals who is working in private sector in terms of wages, work hours, holiday, safety at workplace and employment standard.
National Labor Relations Act:This Act provides the authority to employees to appeal the National Labor Relations Board to decertify the elections. This law states that atleast 30% of employees must agree and sign for the petition. Moreover, employees who are covered under National Labor Relations Act have rights to come together for the improvement of wages or any other terms and conditions.Canada Human Rights Act:This law defines that Canadians are free from discrimination at workplace. Employee who is working in public sector or private sector all are abide with this act.
This law states that everyone who lives and work in this country is equal.Employment Equity Act:This act covers for different groups i.e Aboriginals, women, differently abled and member of visible minorities. . This law enables parity and equal employment opportunity.The Canada Labour Code:The Canadian labour code covers all the individuals who is working in private sector in terms of wages, work hours, holiday, safety at workplace and employment standard.Foreign Workers Right:This defines the right related to the foreign workers.
According to this every international worker has the right to be fairly paid, employers can not ask them to submit there documents such as passport and permit.In Private sector it is the responsibility of businesses to explain their employees the reason for which their information is being stored and used. However, privacy laws in Canada are dynamic In 2010, a bill was passed for the amendment of PIPEDA. Due to election in year 2011 many of these amendments does not enacted. But some of the minor amendments were enforced which were based on new anti spam legislation.
