Imperial Oil has been ordered to pay a former international student more than $116,000 in lost salary and damages, four years after it rescinded a job offer after learning he was not a permanent resident of Canada at the time.
Although the company had argued that Muhammad Haseeb was dishonest about his immigration status throughout the job application process, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario ruled he was entitled to claim lost income over the four-year period his case was being adjudicated.
“My intent in this decision is not to excuse or condone dishonesty, or to suggest that an employer cannot terminate a person’s employment or refuse to hire a person due to dishonesty,” tribunal adjudicator Mark Hart wrote in his decision.
“Rather, this decision is restricted to a person’s dishonesty solely in response to questions asked during the hiring process that are themselves found to be in violation of the (human rights) code.”
For more information, check out this article from The Star