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Age Discrimination

CAUT Policy Statement

Age discrimination, in most cases, is illegal in Canada. Adults of any age can experience age discrimination. CAUT is committed to working to ensure a workplace free of age discrimination. Academic staff associations should not negotiate any age-related disadvantages in the collective agreement.

Academic staff associations should resist pressure from the administration/institution on members to retire before they desire. Additionally, they should educate their membership about age discrimination, and its intersectional impacts (for example, forced retirement1 has a particularly large negative impact on workers in equity-deserving groups). Applying an equity lens can identify the kinds of support needed to prevent age discrimination and the strategies required to address the discrimination that results from direct and indirect actions, inactions, policies, and practices.

Approved by the CAUT Council, November 2022.

Endnote
1. Link to Policy Statement on Retirement