Pregnant at Work in Ontario: Your Rights

In Ontario, pregnancy is protected under the Human Rights Code (as part of the ground of sex), and the Employment Standards Act gives job-protected pregnancy and parental leave.

Protection from discrimination

• You can't be fired, demoted, passed over or given worse shifts because you are pregnant or plan to be.
• This applies during hiring too.

Accommodation

Your employer must accommodate pregnancy-related needs to the point of undue hardship: more breaks, a chair, changed duties, time for medical appointments, or modified hours.

Leave

• Pregnancy leave: up to 17 weeks for most eligible employees.
• Parental leave: available to both parents, birth or adoptive, with extended options.
• Employment Insurance may provide income during leave, if you qualify.

Coming back

You generally have the right to return to the same job, or a comparable one if your job no longer exists, with the same pay.

If you face problems

Keep records, raise concerns in writing, and know that you can apply to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, usually within one year.

Sources

• Ontario Human Rights Code
• Ontario: your guide to the Employment Standards Act
• Ontario Human Rights Commission

Read next: Job Postings in Ontario: Pay Ranges, AI and Canadian Experience

General Ontario legal information, not legal advice for your matter, and reading it does not create a retainer. Sources checked 15 October 2026: check the current law, forms and dates before you act.

Photos from Pexels: An expectant mother working on a laptop · A team meeting in a modern office.

This article is general information for people in Ontario, not legal advice. Rules, forms and deadlines change, and every situation is different. Check the current rule or speak to a licensed legal professional before you act.