Chapter 6 The Workplace (1): The Basic Issues

The old Masters and Servants law, through which employment issues in Canada
1. were regulated up to the latter part of the 19th c., displayed three distinct
characteristics, one of which was:
a. damages to remedy the breach of contract.
b. punishment of uncooperative workers.
Chapter 6 The
Workplace
The Basic Issues
c. the
idea that (1):
the employment
relation was a public contract.
d. the idea that employer and employee met on equal terms.
The legal right of employers to dismiss an employee regardless of whether there is
2. good reason to do so is part of the:
a. doctrine of employment at will.
b. employment code of ethics.
c. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
d. recent court rulings against employment equity.
David Ewing, editor of Harvard Business Review, recognizes two historical
3. factors contributing to the absence of civil liberties in the workplace. One is the
rise of professional management and personnel engineering. The other is:
a. the salary gap between management and non-management employees.
b. the increasing use of technology.
c. the fact that the law in North America traditionally gave employers the
right to hire and fire employees at will.
d. the growing concern over corporate terrorism.
The piece of legislation that significantly advanced the cause of unionism by
4. giving Canadian workers more protection than that enjoyed by their American
counterparts at that time is known as:
a. the Trade Unions Act of 1872.
b. the formation of the Canadian Labour Union of 1873.
c. the formation of the Canadian Labour Congress of 1881.
d. the Order-in-Council of 1944 (P.C. 1003).
Acknowledging employees' civil liberties by respecting their rights and dignity:
5. a. can enhance employee morale and improve competitive performance.
b. can bring significant financial risk to the employer.
c. is unnecessary as long as the law is being followed.
d. should be done within the framework of accepted industry practice.
The human rights complaint brought by a permanent resident of Canada against
6. Bell Helicopter highlights which of the following issues:
a. the common law supported doctrine of employment at will.
b. the Masters and Servants law.
c. the intrusion of American laws into the life of Canadian workers.
d. the absence of loyalty on the part of the complainant to his employer.
The 1992 case of Spruceland Millworks (what the employer did after the main
7. plant burned down) illustrates which of the following beliefs:
a. a fair wage for an honest days work.
b. honouring the people who do the work can produce stunning results for the
company.
c. the employee is obligated to obey the commands of the employer without
question.
d. implementing the authoritarian work style is the modern road to success.
1.

With regard to job specifications, companies must avoid subtle forms of

discrimination. However, neither the Charter of Rights and Freedoms nor the