13 protected grounds of discrimination

10. Marital status

People cannot discriminate against you because of your marital status. For example:

• single
• married
• divorced
• living common-law
• widowed

Marta’s story

I work for a small company. I applied for a different job in the company.

The manager said, “You’re married, aren’t you? This job isn’t good for you. You will have to travel a lot.”

I didn’t get the job. I think I was discriminated against because of my marital status.

11. Family status

People cannot discriminate against you because of your family status. For example:

• A couple might have a big family.

Ray’s story

My wife and I have 4 young children. We are looking for a bigger apartment.

One landlord said, “This building isn’t good for you. Your children will make noise and damage the apartment.”

My wife and I think we were discriminated against because of our family status.