Employer held liable for racially poisoned work environment and discriminatory discharge of harassed employee.
The complainant, an East Indian man from Guyana, alleged that he was subjected to a racially poisoned work environment at the Ford Motor Company plant in Windsor and was ultimately discharged discriminatorily.
The Board of Inquiry found that the workplace was saturated with racist graffiti and slurs, and that management failed to take adequate steps to address the harassment, rendering the employer liable.
The Board further held that the complainant's disciplinary record, which included insubordination and altercations, was provoked by the discriminatory environment.
The employer's decision to discharge the complainant without considering this context was found to be unlawful.
Jurisdiction was retained to determine the appropriate remedy.
Ford Motor Co. of Canada v. Ontario (Human Rights Comm.) (No. 4), 1996 CanLII 20059
