Employment Equity

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Introduction Next to the debate on abortion, the controversy surrounding employment equity in all its myriad forms is one of the most divisive arguments of our times. It is next to impossible to find someone who had no opinion on this issue and more often than not, that view is fiercely held.

When forming an opinion on a controversial subject like employment equity, it is difficult to separate feelings of self-interest from the issue at hand, which is whether or not the government should dictate the employment practices of private firms.

In our opinion, employment equity is an attempt to open the opportunities that Caucasian people and males have always had, to women, minorities, aboriginal people, and people with disabilities, through aggressive recruitment.

What is Employment Equity It is a term applied to the Canadian program for achieving a balanced and integrated workforce that reflects the diversity of our society, and provides for both equality of opportunity and equality of outcomes.

Employment equity includes eliminating employment barriers for the four groups"”namely women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of a visible minority group. Whether referred to as affirmative action, compensatory preferences or preferential policy, employment equity programs all over the world are basically systems of government mandated preferential policies toward government-designated groups.

Employment Equity Act of Canada In Canada, the government-mandated preferential policy of employment equity is embodies in the federal legislation entitled The Employment Equity Act. The Canadian government created the Employment Equity Act in October 1986, and revised in 1996 in an attempt to even the playing field for every individual. The state purpose of this act is "to achieve equality in the work place so that no person shall be denied employment opportunities or benefits for reason unrelated to ability and, in the fulfillment of...