Bill C-13, Keeping Canada’s Economy and Jobs Growing Act, has now received Royal Assent by Parliament. This omnibus legislation implements amendments to various acts, including the Canada Human Rights Act. The amendments will repeal those sections in the Canada Human Rights Act which allowed employers to terminate employees once they reached the “normal age of retirement for individuals working in positions similar to the position of that individual”. These amendments come into force on December 15, 2012, one year after Royal Assent.

Thus, mandatory retirement, already prohibited by most provincial human rights laws, will no longer be permitted after December 15, 2012 for federally regulated businesses, including banks, airlines, and port authorities.