Roadblocks on the career path: Challenges faced by persons with disabilities in employment


Executive Summary

It is widely accepted that a person's well-being, good health and social inclusion is directly linked to their
employment. A key indicator of one's quality of life and sense of personal fulfillment is one's ability to be
gainfully employed and to find meaningful work.

Yet, as this report shows, persons with disabilities continue to face barriers and stigma when looking for work, when
seeking workplace accommodation and when trying to thrive or advance in their careers. Though these findings may not
be surprising for many people living in Canada, that doesn't make the gravity of them any less concerning. For
example:

  • At the national level, the employment rates of both women (45%) and men (49.8%) with disabilities are
    substantially lower compared to those of women (70.1%) and men (77.1%) without disabilities.
  • More than 30% of persons with disabilities report that their disability makes it difficult for them to change
    jobs or advance in their careers.
  • Across Canada, nearly 30% of persons with disabilities report having asked for workplace accommodation that was
    not made available.

Even more at odds with Canada's values of inclusion and diversity is the finding that a proportion of at least 40% of
persons with disabilities report feeling that their employer considers them disadvantaged because of their
disability.

This report is the third and last report in the Canadian Human Rights Commission's series of reports on Canada's
implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The Commission
worked in close collaboration with provincial and territorial human rights commissions and/or tribunals across
Canada to arrive at these findings.

Background

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) was adopted by the UN General
Assembly on December 13, 2006, and came into force on May 3, 2008. Its purpose is to promote, protect and ensure the
full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities. It also
promotes respect for their inherent dignity. States that ratify the UNCRPD are required to report to the Committee
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on its implementation.Footnote 1
The Committee reviews each State report; develops a list of issues and asks for additional information as needed;
and makes recommendations.

In addition, the Committee invites National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and organizations representing civil
society — particularly those representing persons with disabilities — to respond to the reports of State parties.
Canada, which ratified the UNCRPD in 2010, submitted its first report to the Committee in 2014. It outlined specific
measures adopted by federal, provincial and territorial governments aimed at providing support to persons with
disabilities and their families as well as promoting their inclusion and full participation in Canadian society.Footnote 2
In April 2017, the Committee reviewed Canada's report and adopted concluding observations that contain a series of
recommendations. These include recommendations that specifically address the employment of persons with
disabilities.

The rights of persons with disabilities in Canada

In Canada, the rights of persons with disabilities are enshrined in the Canadian Human Rights Act, in provincial and
territorial human rights codes, and in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

As well, the UNCRPD is implemented in Canada through constitutional and statutory protections, as well as
legislative, administrative and other measures, including:

  • The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which applies to all government actions and guarantees all
    individuals fundamental freedoms and rights, including an explicit equality rights guarantee for persons with
    disabilities; and
  • Federal, territorial and provincial human rights laws, which apply to the public and private sectors and
    prohibit discrimination on grounds such as disability in regard to employment, the provision of goods, services
    and facilities customarily available to the public, and accommodation.Footnote 3

Persons with disabilities can bring a discrimination complaint before federal, territorial and provincial independent
human rights commissions and tribunals or courts to enforce their rights.

The Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies (CASHRA) is an umbrella organization that fosters
collaboration between Canada's federal, provincial and territorial human rights commissions. One of its key
priorities is the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in Canada. CASHRA has established a UNCRPD
working group to coordinate related activities.Footnote 4

Monitoring the UNCRPD and National Human Rights Institutions: Article 33

As outlined above, States that ratify the UNCRPD are required to report to the UN on its implementation. Article 33
of the UNCRPD is unique. According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, “it is arguably the
most complete provision on national level implementation and monitoring ever in an international human rights
treaty.”Footnote 5

Article 33.1 of the UNCRPD states that one or more focal points within government shall be designated for matters
relating to the implementation of the UNCRPD. In addition, Article 33.2 of the UNCRPD requires ratifying states to
have an internal framework that includes one or more independent mechanisms, such as a NHRI, in order to promote,
protect and monitor the implementation of the UNCRPD. Article 33.3 provides for the full participation of civil
society, particularly for persons with disabilities and their representative organizations.

In order to implement the Article, some states, such as Australia, have designated their NHRI as their independent
mechanism. Other states, such as New Zealand, have designated an independent mechanism that includes their NHRI and
other organizations. In the case of New Zealand, the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, the Office of the
Ombudsman, and the Disability Convention Coalition have joint responsibilities as the state's independent mechanism.

CHRC series of reports on Canada's implementation of the UNCRPD

In collaboration with CASHRA and organizations representing persons with disabilities, the CHRC is in the midst of
developing a series of interim reports on Canada's implementation of the UNCRPD—specifically the rights provided for
in Article 5, Equality and Non-discrimination.Footnote 6
This report is the third and last report in the series.

While the focus of these reports is on the rights to equality and non-discrimination, they also touch on other rights
of persons with disabilities provided for in other articles of the UNCRPD, such as Article 24 on Education and
Article 27 on Work and Employment. These reports will also be used as benchmarks to monitor the implementation of
the UNCRPD over time—an approach that the UNCRPD Secretariat notes is particularly effective in monitoring
implementation.Footnote 7

The first report entitled, The Rights of Persons with Disabilities to Equality and NonDiscrimination: Monitoring the
Implementation of the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Canada, was published in December
2015. The objective of this first report was to better understand the experiences of discrimination by persons with
disabilities across Canada. The report was the first of its kind, bringing together data on disability-related
complaints received from 2009 to 2013 across all the federal, provincial and territorial human rights commissions
and/or tribunals.

The second report entitled, Left Out: Challenges faced by persons with disabilities in Canada's schools, was
published in March 2017. Using data from the 2012 Canada Survey on Disability and information gathered during
consultations with provincial and territorial human rights commissions and stakeholders who work closely with
persons with disabilities, the objective of this second report was to better understand the educational experiences
of persons with disabilities across Canada and to identify the barriers and challenges they are facing when it comes
to their education.

The objective of this third and final report is to better understand the employment experiences of persons with
disabilities across Canada. The report brings together provides descriptive statistics on selected
employment-related indicators using the 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

Methodology and method of analysis

In order to have a more complete picture on the employment-related experiences of persons with disabilities, the
Canadian Human Rights Commission (Commission) consulted with most human rights commissions and/or tribunals across
Canada. Each organization was invited to provide data, and any additional information, on the number of disability
and non-disability related complaints they received from 2009 to 2016, broken down in two categories:
employment-related and non-employment related. The data can be found in Annex A.

The source of federal complaints data comes from the Commission. Provincial and territorial complaints data was
provided by Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Alberta and Yukon commissions. Data for
Ontario was provided by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. Newfoundland and Labrador and North West Territories
were only able to provide overall data on disability complaints, without being able to break down the information by
employment-related and non-employment related complaints. Saskatchewan was not able to provide any data. British
Columbia and Nunavut did not participate in the study.

The Commission also engaged with various organizations and experts that represent persons with disabilities in
Canada,Footnote 8
who were invited to share any relevant expertise related to employment and discrimination.

Statistical analysis on various employment-related indicators was done using the 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability
(CSD). The CSD gathers information about Canadian adults, aged 15 and over, who report having a disability. The
survey collects information on various topics, including type and severity of disability, labour force status,
educational attainment, experiences and accommodations at school or work.

Descriptive statistics are used to compare the situation of women and men with and without disabilities in terms of
their employment experiences. Statistical tests were run on all comparisons to determine if differences were
statistically significant at the 0.05 level. Where differences are not significant, this is noted in the table. In
addition, the coefficient of variation (CV) was used to assess the reliability of the estimates.Footnote 9

Finally, the report was reviewed by each jurisdiction that was initially consulted. They were invited to review the
content presented in this report and to provide any additional information that may not be reflected in the
statistical analysis. The views expressed in this report are those of the Commission and participating organizations
in the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies' United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities working group.

Limitations

There are limitations associated with using disability-related complaints data from various human rights
jurisdictions in Canada. First, there are no consistent methods of gathering complaints data across Canada's human
rights commissions and/or tribunals. For example, each jurisdiction has its own definition of disability and uses
different keywords to count their disability-related complaints. In addition, complaints are not gathered using the
same time frame. For example, some jurisdictions use the fiscal year (from April 1 to March 31), while others use
the calendar year (from January 1 to December 31). These differences make it difficult to make comparisons across
jurisdictions.

Second, some jurisdictions deal with a small number of complaints and an even smaller number of disability-related
complaints each year, making it difficult to analyze the evolution of these complaints over a specific period of
time. In addition, when the number of complaints is small, fluctuations in the data might seem artificially high.

There are also limitations associated with using national surveys. People living on First Nations reserves as well as
people living in collective dwellings were excluded from the sampling coverage. These exclusions may have led to an
underestimation of the prevalence of disability.

In addition, on some occasions, sample sizes were so low that some variables and measures had to be dropped to
protect the identity of the respondents, in accordance with Statistics Canada confidentiality requirements. On other
occasions, responses to some questions were aggregated. For example, the variable of “sex” had to be aggregated for
some measures. In addition, in some instances, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and
New-Brunswick had to be aggregated under “Atlantic provinces” and Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut had to be
aggregated under “territories.” Other indicators were dropped because the value of the CV was too high—which means
there was too much uncertainty with the accuracy associated with the estimates.

Finally, it is important to note that differences documented in this report do not necessarily indicate
discrimination as defined in human rights law. A number of other factors may account for the differences. However,
the differences may point to areas for further study and intervention as these may be tied to potential
discrimination. In addition, this report provides only a descriptive picture of what people with disabilities
reported. This means that in some cases, outcomes in this report are not necessarily linked to disability. More in
depth research needs to be conducted in order to better understand the relationships, if any, between disability and
the outcomes reported by the respondents.

Snapshot of disability in CanadaFootnote 10

An estimated 3.8 million Canadian adults reported having some type of disability. This represents 13.7% of the
Canadian population. At the provincial level, the prevalence of disability ranges from as low as 6.9% in Nunavut, to
as high as 18.8% in Nova Scotia (see Chart 1.)

Disability rates vary between women and men and across age groups. At the national level, 14.9% of women and 12.5%
men have a disability. The disability rates for both women and men progressively increases with age, where it
reaches 44.5% for women aged 75+ and 39.8% for men of the same age group. In addition, the disability rate for women
is higher than that of men in each age group, with the exception of people aged 15-24. Similar results can be seen
at the provincial level, where the disability rate for adult women aged 15+ is higher than that of adult men aged
15+. In addition, the disability rate of both women and men increases as their age increases, where it reaches 50%
and plus for women aged 75+ living in Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut (see Table
20
.)

Employment and persons with disabilities

It is widely known and accepted that long-term employment and a person's overall wellbeing are linked. Employment is
also an important indicator of social inclusion. It is also used by others as a way to evaluate the contribution
that person makes to society. Being employed can promote good mental health in that it offers one a place to
socialize, to develop interpersonal contacts, to use one's skills, and to gain a sense of personal accomplishment
and esteem.Footnote 11

And yet in Canada, persons with disabilities are still facing barriers and stigma while trying to gain employment.
These barriers and stigma may prevent persons with disabilities from participating in the labour force or from
finding meaningful employment that is linked to their educational attainment. Once employed, it can be quite
challenging for persons with disabilities to stay employed. The barriers and stigma persons with disabilities face
in employment may result in a lack of workplace accommodation they need to best perform in their job, and even limit
their opportunities for advancement in their careers.

Reported experience by persons with disabilities in CanadaFootnote 12

This section presents descriptive statistics from the 2012 Canada Disability Survey on the employment-related
experiences reported by persons with disabilities.

Key Finding 1: Employment rates of persons with disabilities aged 15 to 64 are substantially lower than those of
persons without disabilities – Table 21

The employment rates for persons with disabilities aged 15 to 64 are substantially lower than those of persons
without disabilities across Canada. For example, at the national level, the employment rates of both women (45%) and
men (49.8%) with disabilities are substantially lower compared to those of women (70.1%) and men (77.1%) without
disabilities. The one exception is in Nunavut however, where the employment rate for persons with disabilities is
only slightly lower compared to persons without disabilities (55.5% vs. 54.1%).

Similarly, at the provincial and territorial level, employment rates for women with disabilities are much lower than
women without disabilities. The employment rates for women with disabilities are the lowest in Newfoundland and
Labrador (33.5%), while they reach over 40% in New Brunswick, Quebec, Nunavut, Nova Scotia, Ontario, British
Columbia and Prince Edward Island. The employment rates for women with disabilities reach over 50% in the Northwest
Territories, Manitoba, Alberta, Yukon and Saskatchewan. Differences in employment rates between women with and
without disabilities vary from approximately 11% to 30%. The largest differences are seen in Quebec (28.7%) and in
New Brunswick (28.5%).

For men with disabilities, the employment rates are the lowest in Quebec (38.2%), while they surpass 40% in New
Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Ontario. Those rates are over 50% in the Northwest Territories, British
Columbia, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. The rates surpass 60% in Manitoba, Yukon, Saskatchewan, Alberta and
Nunavut. Differences in employment rates between men with and without disabilities vary from approximately 15% to
40% across all provinces and territories. The largest differences are seen in Quebec (37.5%) and New Brunswick
(32%). An interesting note is that the employment rates of men with disabilities in Nunavut are higher than that of
men without disabilities (69.2% vs. 54.3%).

Among persons with disabilities aged 15 to 64, the employment rates of women are lower than those of men across all
provinces and territories. The only exceptions are seen in Quebec and in the Northwest Territories where the
employment rates of women with disabilities are slightly higher compared to men with disabilities. The largest
differences in employment rates are seen in Nunavut (26.8%) and in Newfoundland and Labrador (14.4%).

Key Finding 2: Women with disabilities aged 15+ are more likely to work in parttime employment compared to men with
disabilities – Table 22

Persons with disabilities are more likely to work part-time compared to persons without disabilities across Canada.
At the national level, the proportion of women and men with disabilities working part-time is respectively 32% and
24.7% compared to 28.4% and 14.6% for women and men without disabilities.

The proportions of women with disabilities who work part-time vary from 20% to 30% in the territories and in Ontario.
The proportions reach more than 30% in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, in the Atlantic provinces, and in
British Columbia. Women with disabilities are more likely to work part-time compared to women without disabilities
across all provinces, with the exception of Ontario. The largest differences are seen in the Atlantic provinces
(10.5%) and in Quebec (9.4%).

By comparison, the proportions of men with disabilities who work part-time are below 20% in the Atlantic provinces
and Alberta. The proportions reach more than 20% in the territories, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario, and
reaches just over 30% in British Columbia. As found with women, men with disabilities are more likely to work
part-time compared to men without disabilities across all provinces and the territories. The largest differences are
seen in British Colombia (14.6%), Saskatchewan (12.9%) and Ontario (10.8%).

With the exception of the territories, women with disabilities are more likely to work parttime than men with
disabilities across Canada. The largest differences are seen in the Atlantic provinces (18.9%), Alberta (15.2%),
Quebec (12.9%) and Manitoba (12.2%).

Key Finding 3: A proportion of more than 30% of persons with disabilities aged 15+ consider themselves disadvantaged
in employment because of their condition – Table 23

Across Canada, more than 30% of persons with disabilities consider themselves disadvantaged in employment because of
their condition. The proportion of women with disabilities who report the same reaches over 40% in Ontario and
British Columbia. As for men with disabilities, the proportion reaches over 40% in British Columbia, Ontario and
Quebec. The largest difference is seen in Quebec where men with disabilities are substantially more likely to
consider themselves disadvantaged in employment because of their disability compared to women with disabilities
(44.9% vs. 35%).

Key finding 4: In most provinces, a proportion of more than 40% of persons with disabilities aged 15+ believe that
their current or any potential employers would likely consider them disadvantaged in employment because of their
disability – Table 24

With the exception of Alberta and the territories, at least 40% of persons with disabilities believe that their
current or any potential employers would likely consider them disadvantaged in employment because of their
disability. The proportion of women with disabilities who report the same is over 40% in Quebec, Saskatchewan,
British Columbia and Ontario, while it is substantially lower in the territories (23.9%). The proportion of men with
disabilities is more than 40% across all provinces, and is slightly lower in the territories at 36.6%. The largest
difference is seen in the territories where the proportion of men with disabilities is 36.6% compared to 23.9% for
women with disabilities.

Key Finding 5: More than 30% of persons with disabilities aged 15+ report that their disability makes it difficult
or very difficult to change/advance in their job – Table 25

At the national level, 44.6% of women with disabilities report that their disability makes it difficult or very
difficult to change/advance in their job compared to 46.7% for men with disabilities. The proportion of women with
disabilities who report the same is more than 30% in Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and in the territories. The
proportion reaches more than 40% in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.

More than 30% of men with disabilities in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and in the territories report that their
disability makes it difficult or very difficult to change/advance in their job. The proportion reaches more than 40%
in Manitoba, Ontario and in Alberta and reaches more than 50% in the Atlantic provinces and in Quebec. Women with
disabilities in Manitoba, Alberta and in Quebec are substantially less likely to report that their disability makes
it difficult or very difficult to change/advance in their job compared to men with disabilities. On the other hand,
women with disabilities living in British Columbia are substantially more likely to report the same compared to
men with disabilities.

Key Finding 6: Approximately 30% of persons with disabilities aged 15+ who asked for workplace accommodation that
was not made available – Table 26

Across Canada, nearly 30% of men and women with disabilities report having asked for workplace accommodation that was
not made available. The proportion for women with disabilities is 27.8% compared to 32.5%E for men with
disabilities.

Key Finding 7: Approximately 10% of persons with disabilities living in Alberta and British Columbia report being
refused a job promotion – Table 27

At the national level, 8.3% of men and 7.5% of women with disabilities report being refused a job promotion. The
proportion of women with disabilities who report having been refused a job promotion is the lowest in the Atlantic
provinces (4.8%E) while the highest proportions are seen in British Columbia (9.2% E) and in the territories (9.3%
E). The highest proportion of men with disabilities who report having been refused a job promotion is in British
Columbia (9.6% E) and Alberta (10.8% E), while the lowest is in Quebec (4.6% E).

Key Finding 8: Approximately one in five adults with disabilities aged 15+ report changing jobs because of their
disability – Table 28

At the national level, a proportion of 23.1% of persons with disabilities report changing jobs because of their
disability. At the provincial and territorial level, the proportion of persons with disabilities who report changing
jobs because of their disability varies from approximately 21% to 26%. The only exception is seen in Alberta where
the proportion of persons with disabilities who report the same is 32.8%. In Alberta, the proportion of women with
disabilities who report changing jobs because of their disability is substantially lower compared to men with
disabilities (19.2% vs. 32.8%).

Key Finding 9: Women with disabilities aged 15+ are more likely to report changing the amount of work they do
because of their disability – Table 29

Women with disabilities in most parts of Canada are more likely to report changing the amount of work they do because
of their disability compared to men with disabilities. For example, at the national level, the proportion of women
with disabilities who report changing the amount of work they do because of their disability is 38% compared to
34.6% for men with disabilities. The proportion of women with disabilities who report the same is in the 30% in the
territories, Alberta, the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. The proportions reach more than 40% in British
Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The proportion of men with disabilities who report the same is in the 30%
across all provinces and the territories, with the exception of British Columbia, where it reaches slightly over
40%.

Key Finding 10: More than one out of five of persons with disabilities aged 15+ are more likely to report changing
their kind of work because of their disability – Table 30

At the national level, the proportion of men with disabilities who report changing their kind of work because of
their disability is 31.8% compared to 28.8% for women with disabilities. At the provincial level, with the exception
of British Columbia, men with disabilities are more likely to report the same across all provinces and the
territories. The proportion of women with disabilities who report the same is more than 20% across all provinces and
territories. The proportion is even higher in Saskatchewan, where it reaches 30%, and in British Columbia, where it
reaches 38.4%. On the other hand, the proportion of men with disabilities who report changing the kind of work they
do because of their disability is approximately 30% across all provinces and the territories. The proportion reaches
approximately 35% in both Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Key Finding 11: With the exception of British Columbia, men with disabilities aged 15+ are more likely to report
that their disability limits the amount/kind of work that they can do compared to women with disabilities across
Canada – Table 31

At the national level, a proportion of 44.3% of women with disabilities aged 15+ report that their disability limits
the amount/kind of work that they can do compared to 45.8% for men with disabilities. The proportion of women with
disabilities who report the same is more than 30% in the territories and just under 40% in Quebec. The proportion
reaches more than 40% in Ontario, the Atlantic provinces, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. A proportion of just over 55%
of women with disabilities in Alberta report that their disability limits the amount/kind of work that they can do.
The proportions of men with disabilities who report the same are at least 40% across all provinces and the
territories, with the exception of Saskatchewan where the proportion reaches 54%.

Key Finding 12: In general, men with disabilities aged 15+ are more likely to report having been refused a job
interview or a job compared to women with disabilities – Tables 32 and
href="#table33">33

With the exception of Ontario and the territories, a slightly higher proportion of men with disabilities across
Canada are more likely to report having been refused a job interview than women. For example, at the national level,
8% of men with disabilities report this compared to 7.4% of women with disabilities.

Similar results are seen for persons with disabilities who report being refused a job. With the exception of Ontario
and the territories, a slightly higher proportion of men with disabilities across Canada are more likely to report
having been refused a job than women with disabilities. The proportion of women with disabilities who report having
been refused a job is below 10% in the Atlantic provinces and in British Columbia, while it varies between 10% and
12% in the other provinces and the territories. On the other hand, the proportion of men with disabilities who
report the same is consistently more than 10% across all provinces and the territories. The proportion is especially
high in Quebec (16.9%E) and Manitoba (17.9%).

Conclusion

Persons with disabilities in Canada do not have an equal chance as other people in Canada to thrive or advance in
their careers. This is in contradiction to Article 27 of the UNCRPD. A significant proportion of persons with
disabilities are facing physical and attitudinal barriers in employment across the country.

Many different employment-related barriers are reported by persons with disabilities. For example, at least 30% of
persons with disabilities report that they feel disadvantaged in employment because of their disability. In
addition, approximately 40% report feeling that their employer considers them disadvantaged because of their
disability. Approximately 30% of women and men with disabilities asked for workplace accommodation that was not made
available.

These findings raise many questions for future research to better understand the impact of disability on one's labour
force participation. For example, we recognize that discrimination and its impact on a person's career path may vary
depending on the type and severity of their disability.. Additional research may deepen our understanding of these
experiences. Additional research is also needed to better understand the long term impacts of workplace
discrimination, stigma and harassment for persons with disabilities in the workforce.

This report underscores the need for greater action to remove barriers and promote employment for persons with
disabilities. The federal government's development of federal accessibility legislation is an important step to
proactively addressing and removing barriers to employment for persons with disabilities.

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Annex A: Tables showing disability complaints related to employment received by human rights
jurisdictions across Canada, from 2009 to 2016

Across nearly all human rights commissions and/or tribunals in Canada, human rights complaints related to disability
comprise nearly 50% of the total complaints received between 2009 and 2016. At the federal level, the proportion of
disability-related complaints received by the Canadian Human Rights Commission is 52.4%.

At the provincial and territorial level the proportion was highest for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, for
which 64.6% of the total complaints are disabilityrelated. The Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission and
the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario have the second-highest proportions of disability related complaints. The
lowest proportion of disability-related complaints received is seen at the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission
(36.5%) and at the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse du Quebec (32.9%)

Some common examples of disability complaints related to employment include a lack of physical workplace
accommodation, a failure to facilitate a return to work process and a failure to approve a medical absence. In
addition, many other complainants allege that the accommodation measures proposed and/or implemented by an employer
are inadequate to address their medical limitations.

Table 1: Overview of disability complaints related to employment received by human rights
jurisdictions across Canada from 2009 to 2016
Jurisdiction Proportion and number of disability-related complaints Proportion of total complaints that are disability complaints related to employment Proportion of total disability complaints that are related to employment
Canadian Human Rights Commission 52.4% (4538) 44.1% 84.1%
Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission 53.1% (251) N/A N/A
Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission 44.8% (188) 30.5% 68.1%
Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission 64.6% (1109) 51.9% 80.3%
New Brunswick Human Rights Commission 36.5% (461) 30.1% 82.6%
Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse du Quebec 32.9% (2014) 16.7% 50.8%
Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario 52.3% (11573) 38.2% 73.1%
Manitoba Human Rights Commission 44.1% (962) 29.0% 65.6%
Alberta Human Rights Commission 49.1% (6885) 43.3% 88.1%
Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission 47.5% (86) N/A N/A
Yukon Human Rights Commission 48.8% (100) 27.8% 57.0%

Complaints are compiled either by calendar year of fiscal year.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Canadian Human Rights Commission

Table 2: Proportion of disability-related complaints and employment related complaints received at
the Canadian Human Rights Commission, by fiscal year
Fiscal year Proportion of disability complaints on the total complaints Proportion of employment-related complaints on the total complaints
2009-10 51.3% 82.6%
2010-11 50.5% 81.6%
2011-12 45.9% 81.1%
2012-13 50.3% 78.7%
2013-14 57.0% 76.0%
2014-15 57.6% 76.4%
2015-16 58.3% 73.2%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Table 3: Proportion of disability complaints related to employment received at the Canadian Human
Rights Commission, by fiscal year
Fiscal year Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total complaints Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total of disability
complaints
2009-10 45.0% 87.7%
2010-11 43.3% 85.6%
2012-13 42.1% 83.7%
2013-14 46.2% 81.0%
2014-15 48.0% 83.3%
2015-16 48.1% 82.5%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission

Table 4: Proportion of disability-related complaints and employment related complaints received at
the Prince Edwards Island Rights Commission, by fiscal year

Fiscal year
Proportion of disability complaints on the total complaints Proportion of employment-related complaints on the total complaints
2009-10 36.8% 76.3%
2010-11 44.6% 75.4%
2011-12 46.2% 44.6%
2012-13 41.6% 78.2%
2013-14 59.2% 67.3%
2014-15 37.3% 74.5%
2015-16 49.0% 60.8%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Table 5: Proportion of disability complaints related to employment received at the Prince Edwards
Island Human Rights Commission, by fiscal year

Fiscal year
Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total complaints Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total of disability complaints
2009-10 31.6% 85.7%
2010-11 27.7% 62.1%
2011-12 26.2% 56.7%
2012-13 27.7% 66.7%
2013-14 40.8% 69.0%
2014-15 31.4% 84.2%
2015-16 33.3% 68.0%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission

Table 6: Proportion of disability-related complaints and employment related complaints received at
the Nova Scotia Rights Commission, by fiscal year
Fiscal year Proportion of disability complaints on the total complaints Proportion of employment-related complaints on the total complaints
2009-10 56.5% 82.1%
2010-11 65.4% 83.8%
2011-12 64.8% 82.6%
2012-13 59.7% 83.8%
2013-14 61.5% 80.4%
2014-15 69.0% 81.0%
2015-16 91.0% 77.9%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Table 7: Proportion of disability complaints related to employment received at the Nova Scotia
Human Rights Commission, by fiscal year

Fiscal year
Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total complaints Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total of disability complaints
2009-10 45.6% 80.6%
2010-11 55.4% 84.7%
2011-12 54.3% 83.8%
2012-13 50.5% 84.5%
2013-14 44.8% 72.9%
2014-15 52.7% 76.4%
2015-16 71.0% 78.0%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

New Brunswick Human Rights Commission

Table 8: Proportion of disability-related complaints and employment related complaints received at
the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission, by fiscal year

Fiscal year
Proportion of disability complaints on the total complaints Proportion of employment-related complaints on the total complaints
2009-10 20.8% 35.5%
2010-11 44.0% 75.5%
2011-12 47.1% 75.9%
2012-13 47.1% 81.5%
2013-14 37.1% 77.1%
2014-15 34.3% 71.4%
2015-16 40.1% 81.0%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Table 9: Proportion of disability complaints related to employment received at the New Brunswick
Human Rights Commission, by fiscal year

Fiscal year
Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total complaints Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total of disability complaints
2009-10 16.0% 76.8%
2010-11 37.0% 84.0%
2011-12 37.4% 79.3%
2012-13 40.8% 86.5%
2013-14 30.7% 82.7%
2014-15 28.6% 83.3%
2015-16 35.0% 87.3%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse du Québec

Table 10: Proportion of disability-related complaints and employmentrelated complaints received at
the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse du Québec, by fiscal year


Fiscal year
Proportion of disability complaints on the total complaints Proportion of employment-related complaints on the total complaints
2009-10 26.6% 43.9%
2010-11 31.5% 46.0%
2011-12 34.9% 48.2%
2012-13 31.7% 42.3%
2013-14 31.2% 48.7%
2014-15 34.4% 51.4%
2015-16 38.9% 51.1%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Table 11: Proportion of disability complaints related to employment received at the Commission des
droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse du Québec, by fiscal year

Fiscal year
Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total
complaints
Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total of
disability complaints
2009-10 14.5% 54.5%
2010-11 16.6% 52.5%
2011-12 17.7% 50.7%
2012-13 16.1% 50.9%
2013-14 17.1% 54.8%
2014-15 16.4% 47.7%
2015-16 18.2% 46.7%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario

Table 12: Proportion of disability-related complaints and employment related complaints received at the
Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, by fiscal year

Fiscal year
Proportion of disability complaints on the total complaints Proportion of employment-related complaints on the total complaints
2009-10 51.2% 73.2%
2010-11 49.7% 73.7%
2011-12 51.0% 72.7%
2012-13 52.2% 72.7%
2013-14 52.6% 71.1%
2014-15 54.6% 70.2%
2015-16 54.4% 66.8%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Table 13: Proportion of disability complaints related to employment received at the Human Rights
Tribunal of Ontario, by fiscal year

Fiscal year
Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total complaints Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total of disability complaints
2009-10 38.2% 74.6%
2010-11 38.0% 76.5%
2011-12 39.2% 76.9%
2012-13 39.2% 75.1%
2013-14 36.4% 69.2%
2014-15 39.2% 71.9%
2015-16 37.6% 69.1%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Manitoba Human Rights Commission

Table 14: Proportion of disability-related complaints and employment related complaints received at
the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, by calendar year

Calendar year
Proportion of disability complaints on the total complaints Proportion of employment-related complaints on the total complaints
2009 42.1% 74.0%
2010 37.3% 64.8%
2011 51.4% 68.1%
2012 46.2% 68.4%
2013 41.6% 67.3%
2014 45.5% 69.0%
2015 44.9% 66.9%
2016 44.5% 66.6%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Table 15: Proportion of disability complaints related to employment received at the Manitoba Human
Rights Commission, by calendar year

Calendar year
Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total complaints Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total of disability complaints
2009 32.3% 76.8%
2010 23.6% 63.2%
2011 33.5% 65.1%
2012 32.0% 69.3%
2013 26.7% 64.1%
2014 29.3% 64.4%
2015 29.1% 64.7%
2016 26.6% 59.7%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Alberta Human Rights Commission

Table 16: Proportion of disability-related complaints and employment related complaints received at
the Alberta Human Rights Commission, by fiscal year

Fiscal year
Proportion of disability complaints on the total complaints Proportion of employment-related complaints on the total complaints
2009-10 47.7% 86.1%
2010-11 43.4% 83.7%
2011-12 47.9% 86.9%
2012-13 52.7% 85.4%
2013-14 49.1% 84.8%
2014-15 51.3% 85.3%
2015-16 51.5% 86.1%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Table 17: Proportion of disability complaints related to employment received at the Alberta Human
Rights Commission, by fiscal year

Fiscal year
Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total complaints Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total of disability complaints
2009-10 42.3% 88.7%
2010-11 38.7% 89.2%
2011-12 42.2% 88.2%
2012-13 46.0% 87.2%
2013-14 42.9% 87.3%
2014-15 44.9% 87.7%
2015-16 45.5% 88.4%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Yukon Human Rights Commission

Table 18: Proportion of disability-related complaints and employment related complaints received at
the Yukon Human Rights Commission, by calendar year

Calendar year

Proportion of disability complaints on the total complaints

Proportion of employment-related complaints on the total complaints
2009 39.1% 78.3%
2010 50.0% 66.7%
2011 60.0% 80.0%
2012 36.7% 73.3%
2013 37.5% 75.0%
2014 48.4% 48.4%
2015 52.2% 73.9%
2016 62.5% 37.5%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Table 19: Proportion of disability complaints related to employment received at the Yukon Human
Rights Commission, by calendar year

Calendar year
Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total complaints Proportion of disability complaints related to employment on the total of disability complaints
2009 21.7% 55.6%
2010 25.0% 50.0%
2011 53.3% 88.9%
2012 23.3% 63.6%
2013 25.0% 66.7%
2014 22.6% 46.7%
2015 34.8% 66.7%
2016 21.9% 35.0%

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Annex B: Chart and Tables from the 2012 Canada Disability Survey

Chart 1: Prevalence of disability for adults aged 15+ – Canada, provinces and territories –
Reference year 2012
Image
Chart 1: A description follows
Chart 1 - Text version
Canada 13.7%
Newfoundland and Labrador 14.1%
Prince Edward Island 16%
Nova Scotia 18.8%
New Brunswick 16.4%
Quebec 9.6%
Ontario 15.4%
Manitoba 15.6%
Saskatchewan 15%
Alberta 12.5%
British Columbia 13.5%
Yukon 14.4%
Northwest Territories 8.2%
Nunavut 6.9%

Source: Adapted from Statistics Canada. Table 13-10-0343-01 Prevalence of disability for adults. All percentages are
rounded to one decimal point.

Table 20: Prevalence of disability for adults aged 15+ by sex and age group – Canada, provinces and
territories – Reference year 2012
Province Women 15-24 Men 15-24 Women 25-44 Men 25-44 Women 45-64 Men 45-64 Women 65-74 Men 65-74 Women 75+ Men 75+ Women 15+ Men 15+
Canada 4.3% 4.5% 7.1% 6.0% 17.1% 15.2% 27.5% 25.0% 44.5% 39.8% 14.9% 12.5%
Newfoundland and Labrador 5.0% 5.1% 7.7% 7.7% 17.0% 16.4% 20.9% 21.3% 39.7% 34.8% 14.6% 13.6%
Prince Edward Island 3.9%E 4.7%E 9.8% 6.6% 19.2% 16.8% 29.8% 28.3% 48.9% 47.4% 17.3% 14.7%
Nova Scotia 5.5% 6.1% 10.7% 7.8% 22.1% 21.1% 32.0% 36.1% 44.9% 52.2% 19.2% 18.4%
New Brunswick 3.5% 4.3% 8.9% 7.5% 19.5% 18.4% 27.0% 29.7% 45.9% 43.2% 17.2% 15.6%
Quebec 3.1% 3.0% 4.6% 4.0% 10.8% 10.2% 17.5% 16.7% 35.4% 29.2% 10.4% 8.3%
Ontario 4.6% 5.3% 8.0% 7.4% 19.3% 17.0% 33.8% 25.8% 48.5% 43.4% 14.2% 14.0%
Manitoba 4.1% 4.1% 8.6% 6.6% 19.8% 16.4% 32.2% 31.0% 49.0% 49.1% 17.1% 14.2%
Saskatchewan 4.6% 3.6% 7.3% 5.8% 18.9% 16.6% 27.6% 32.1% 45.5% 43.8% 16.0% 13.9%
Alberta 4.9% 4.1% 6.4% 4.7% 17.6% 15.2% 28.7% 30.5% 44.3% 43.9% 13.5% 11.4%
British Columbia 4.8% 4.7% 7.6% 5.7% 18.6% 16.4% 26.3% 28.5% 48.0% 38.5% 16.0% 13.5%
Yukon F F 8.2%E 4.4%E 18.6% 19.6% 31.8% 42.2% 59.5% 48.6%E 14.5% 14.2%
Northwest Territories F 1.6%E 5.0% 3.1% 11.9% 11.3% 40.3% 30.0% 52.6% 32.4%E 9.1% 7.3%
Nunavut 2.3% 0.9%E 5.4% 4.2% 11.7% 11.4% 34.3% 30.6% 50.0% 38.5% 7.4% 6.5%

Source: Adapted from Statistics Canada. Table 13-10-0343-01 Prevalence of disability for adults.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

E Use with caution. F Too unreliable to be published.

Table 21: Employment rates of adults aged 15 to 64 by disability status and sex – Canada, province
and territories – Reference year 2012

Province
Persons
with disabilities
Persons
without disabilities
Women with disabilities Women
without disabilities
Men with disabilities Men without disabilities
Canada 47.3% 73.6% 45.0% 70.1% 49.8% 77.1%
Newfoundland and Labrador 40.4% 64.3% 33.5% 60.8% 47.9% 67.8%
Prince Edward Island 51.2% 75.2% 48.8% 73.4% 54.1% 77.0%
Nova Scotia 47.9% 71.9% 43.2% 70.3% 53.4% 73.6%
New Brunswick 41.2% 71.4% 41.0% 69.5% 41.5% 73.5%
Quebec 39.9% 72.9% 41.4% 70.1% 38.2% 75.7%
Ontario 45.5% 72.8% 43.3% 70.0% 48.0% 75.7%
Manitoba 56.4% 77.3% 52.4% 73.1% 61.3% 81.4%
Saskatchewan 60.6% 78.6% 57.3% 73.6% 64.5% 83.5%
Alberta 59.3% 78.8% 54.3% 72.7% 65.0% 84.4%
British Columbia 48.4% 72.7% 44.9% 68.2% 52.6% 77.1%
Yukon 59.4% 77.6% 55.8% 76.0% 63.3% 79.3%
Northwest Territories 51.9% 70.4% 51.6% 68.5% 51.1% 71.2%
Nunavut 55.5% 54.1% 42.4% 53.8% 69.2% 54.3%

Source: Adapted from Statistics Canada. Table 13-10-0347-01 Labour force status for adults with and without
disabilities All percentages are rounded to one decimal point

Table 22: Proportion of adults aged 15+ who work part-time by disability status and sex – Canada,
provinces and territories – Reference year 2012

Province
Persons with
disabilities
Persons without
disabilities
Women with disabilities Women without
disabilities
Men with disabilities Men without disabilities
Canada 28.4% 20.6% 32.0% 28.4% 24.7% 14.6%
Atlantic Provinces 27.1% 19.3% 37.0% 26.5% 18.1% 12.6%
Quebec 29.9% 19.9% 36.3% 26.9% 23.4% 13.7%
Ontario 26.4% 21.2% 26.6% 27.5% 26.3% 15.5%
Manitoba 29.8% 22.7% 36.1% 31.7% 23.9% 15.0%
Saskatchewan 29.7% 20.6% 33.8% 29.3% 26.1% 13.2%
Alberta 26.6% 19.7% 34.5% 29.3% 19.3% 11.8%
British - Columbia 34.1% 25.2% 38.1% 33.4% 30.3% 17.9%
Territories 20.9% 15.8% 20.5%**/*** 20.4%** 21.2%*** 11.9%

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded.

** Difference between women with and without disabilities is not statistically significant at 0.05.

*** Difference between women and men with disabilities is not statistically significant at 0.05.

Table 23: Proportion of adults with disabilities aged 15+ who report feeling disadvantaged in
employment because of their disability by sex – Canada, provinces and territories – Reference year
2012
Province Women with disabilities Men with disabilities Total disabled population
Canada 38.9% 41.9% 40.3%
Atlantic Provinces 38.5% 39.3% 38.9%
Quebec 35.0% 44.9% 40.0%
Ontario 40.4% 44.4% 42.1%
Manitoba 35.4% 38.3% 36.8%
Saskatchewan 33.2% 34.0% 33.6%
Alberta 36.3% 37.4% 36.8%
British Columbia 42.8% 41.1% 42.0%
Territories 31.1% 36.8% 33.9%

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded

Table 24: Proportion of adults with disabilities aged 15+ who report feeling that their current or
any potential employer would be likely to consider them disadvantaged because of their disability by sex –
Canada, provinces and territories – Reference year 2012
Province Women with disabilities Men with disabilities Total disabled population
Canada 41.5% 43.7% 42.5%
Atlantic Provinces 39.6% 43.6% 41.6%
Quebec 40.3% 47.4% 43.9%
Ontario 44.3% 44.9% 44.6%
Manitoba 39.0% 42.5% 40.7%
Saskatchewan 41.1%*** 41.0%*** 41.0%
Alberta 33.1% 40.8% 37.0%
British Columbia 42.6% 40.7% 41.6%
Territories 23.9% 36.6% 30.1%

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded.

*** Difference between women and men with disabilities is not statistically significant at 0.05.

Table 25: Proportion adults with disabilities aged 15+ who report that their disability makes it
very difficult or difficult to change/advance in their job by sex – Canada, provinces and territories –
Reference year 2012
Province Women with disabilities Men with disabilities Total disabled population
Canada 44.6% 46.7% 45.6%
Atlantic Provinces 48.1% 51.6% 49.7%
Quebec 46.9% 54.9% 50.9%
Ontario 46.7%*** 47.0%*** 46.8%
Manitoba 33.8% 44.9% 39.1%
Saskatchewan 37.4%*** 37.7%*** 37.5%
Alberta 36.8% 47.9% 42.4%
British Columbia 45.2% 36.1% 41.0%
Territories 39.9% 36.3%E 38.2%

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded.

E Use with caution.

*** Difference between women and men with disabilities is not statistically significant at 0.05.

Table 26: Proportion of adults with disabilities aged 15+ who asked for workplace accommodation
that was not made available by sex – Canada – Reference year 2012
Women with disabilities Men with disabilities Total disabled population
27.8% 32.5%E 29.6%E

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded.

E Use with caution.

Table 27: Proportion of adults with disabilities aged 15+ who report having been refused a job
promotion by sex – Canada, provinces and territories – Reference year 2012
Province Women with disabilities Men with disabilities Total disabled population
Canada 7.5% 8.3% 7.9%
Atlantic Provinces 4.8%E 7.4% 6.2%
Quebec 6.9%E 4.6%E 5.7%E
Ontario 7.9%E 8.8%E 8.3%E
Manitoba 6.2%E 7.8%E 6.9%E
Saskatchewan 6.2%E *** 5.9%E *** 6.1%E
Alberta 7.6%E 10.8%E 9.2%E
British Columbia 9.2%E 9.6%E 9.4%E
Territories 9.3%E 7.8%E 8.5%E

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded.

E Use with caution.

*** Difference between women and men with disabilities is not statistically significant at 0.05.

Table 28: Proportion of adults with disabilities aged 15+ who reported changing jobs because of
their disability by sex – Canada, provinces and territories – Reference year 2012
Province Women with disabilities Men with disabilities Total disabled population
Canada 22.5% 23.7% 23.1%
Atlantic Provinces 20.2% 23.2% 21.7%
Quebec 21.7%*** 21.9%*** 21.8%
Ontario 22.9% 20.9% 21.9%
Manitoba 22.0% 23.6% 22.8%
Saskatchewan 28.6% 25.4% 25.4%
Alberta 19.2% 32.8% 32.8%
British Columbia 24.8%*** 25.0%E *** 25.0%
Territories 22.2%E *** 21.5%E *** 22.4%

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded.

E Use with caution.

*** Difference between women and men with disabilities is not statistically significant at 0.05.

Table 29: Proportion of adults with disabilities aged 15+ who reported changing their amount of
work they do because of their disability by sex – Canada, provinces and territories – Reference year
2012
Province Women with disabilities Men with disabilities Total disabled population
Canada 38.0% 34.6% 36.3%
Atlantic Provinces 33.9% 31.1% 32.5%
Quebec 37.4% 32.5% 34.9%
Ontario 38.6% 34.7% 36.7%
Manitoba 41.7% 35.1% 38.5%
Saskatchewan 44.0% 39.2% 41.5%
Alberta 32.1% 30.4% 31.2%
British Columbia 40.8%*** 40.9%*** 40.9%
Territories 30.1%*** 30.2%E *** 31.0%

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded.

E Use with caution.

*** Difference between women and men with disabilities is not statistically significant at 0.05.

Table 30: Proportion of adults with disabilities aged 15+ who reported changing their kind of work
because of their disability by sex – Canada, provinces and territories – Reference year 2012

Province Women with disabilities Men with disabilities Total disabled population
Canada 28.8% 31.8% 30.3%
Atlantic Provinces 27.2% 31.6% 29.4%
Quebec 23.4% 29.6% 26.6%
Ontario 27.8% 30.4% 29.0%
Manitoba 29.4% 33.1% 31.2%
Saskatchewan 30.0% 37.0% 37.0%
Alberta 26.7% 34.9% 34.9%
British Columbia 38.4% 33.6% 33.6%
Territories 27.5% 30.6%E 31.7%E

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded.

E Use with caution.

*** Difference between women and men with disabilities is not statistically significant at 0.05.

Table 31: Proportion of adults with disabilities aged 15+ who reported that their disability limits
the amount/kind of work that they can do by sex – Canada, provinces and territories – Reference year
2012
Province Women with disabilities Men with disabilities Total disabled population
Canada 44.3% 45.8% 45.0%
Atlantic Provinces 41.8% 48.3% 45.0%
Quebec 39.0% 49.4% 44.3%
Ontario 41.1% 44.3% 42.7%
Manitoba 47.4% 42.2% 44.9%
Saskatchewan 47.2% 54.0% 50.8%
Alberta 47.7% 41.3% 44.4%
British Columbia 55.2% 48.0% 51.7%
Territories 36.5% 49.9% 43.5%

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded.

Table 32: Proportion of adults with disabilities aged 15+ who report having been refused a job
interview by sex – Canada, provinces and territories – Reference year 2012
Province Women with disabilities Men with disabilities Total disabled population
Canada 7.4% 8.0% 7.7%
Atlantic Provinces 6.7% 8.3% 7.5%
Quebec 6.4%E 7.4%E 6.9%E
Ontario 7.8% 7.3%E 7.6%E
Manitoba 7.4%E 15.1%E 11.1%E
Saskatchewan 8.8%E 10.6%E 9.7%
Alberta 7.7%E 8.4% 8.1%
British Columbia 6.9%E 7.3%E 7.1%
Territories 8.6%*** 8.1%E *** 8.4%

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded.

E Use with caution.

*** Difference between women and men with disabilities is not statistically significant at 0.05.

Table 33: Proportion of adults with disabilities aged 15+ who report having been refused a job by
sex – Canada, provinces and territories – Reference year 2012
Province Women with disabilities Men with disabilities Total disabled population
Canada 10.6% 12.8% 11.6%
Atlantic Provinces 9.1% 13.9% 11.2%
Quebec 12.4% 16.9%E 14.7%E
Ontario 10.5% 10.3% 10.4%
Manitoba 11.7% 17.9% 14.7%
Saskatchewan 11.3%E 14.1% 12.7%E
Alberta 10.4% 12.8% 11.6%
British Columbia 9.7% 12.7% 11.2%
Territories 11.4%*** 11.0%E *** 10.9%E

Source: 2012 Canada Survey on Disability.

All percentages are rounded to one decimal point.

Missing values are excluded.

E Use with caution.

*** Difference between women and men with disabilities is not statistically significant at 0.05.

Research
Workplace

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