There are two elements involved in harassment, one invloves behaviour that is "improper" or "abusive", the other with behaviour that is "unwelcome" or "unwanted".

"Unwelcome" in this context means any actions which a reasonable person knows or ought reasonably to know are not desired by the subject of harassment. The behaviour is considered unwelcome if it is perceived as such by the person being harassed. The law views harassment in terms of the effect on the victim, not the intent of the harasser.

Harassment is a form of discrimination and is illlegal. All jurisdictions in Canada have human rights laws prohibiting discrimination on grounds, such as ancestry; race; ethnic or national origin; nationality; political belief, association or activity; religion or creed; marital or family status; sex, including pregnancy; age; physical or mental disability; and sexual orientation.

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that sexual harassment is discrimination on the basis of sex and therefore is prohibited, even without specific references in human rights laws. That means a person can file a complaint of sexual harassment with a human rights commission even if the human rights legislation does not contain a specific reference to sexual harassment.

Harassment can take on many forms:

• Racial Harassment
• Harassment on the basis of sexual orientation
• Personal Harassment