Ancestry & Place of origin

13 protected grounds of discrimination

3. Ancestry

People cannot discriminate against you because of your ancestry. For example, a person’s parents might be Aboriginal, Iraqi, Korean or Mexican.

Maria’s story

My parents came to Canada from Mexico. People at work know my ancestry.

One of my co-workers tells jokes about Mexicans. I don’t think the jokes are funny. She doesn’t tell jokes about other people.

I think my co-worker is harassing me because of my ancestry. That is discrimination.

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4. Place of origin

People cannot discriminate against you because of your place of origin. Place of origin means where a person was born.

Kau’s story

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I’m looking for a better job. I went to a job interview. The interviewer said, “You have an accent. Where were you born?” I said, “China.”

The interview was very short. I didn’t get the job.

I have lots of work experience in Canada. I think the interviewer discriminated against me because of my place of origin.