Bethany Paquette, Trinity Western grad, has prejudice claim rebuffed by tourism company

2014/10/11 Leave a comment

Further to Trinity Western grad attacked for being Christian in job rejection

In a CBC News exclusive story published Tuesday, Bethany Paquette says she was “attacked” over her religion and rejected for being Christian after applying to work in Canada’s North for Amaruk Wilderness Corp.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the company rejected this claim, stating, “We regret that Bethany Paquette was [em]inently unqualified for an assistant guide internship position with our company.

“We strive to make applicants aware of the minimum requirements for each position,” the statement continues.

The Amaruk Wilderness Corp. hiring manager said in an email that we strongly disagree with some of Trinity Westerns principles but it was a mere expression of opinion.

“This includes, but is not limited to, clearly highlighting such requirements in red bold characters on our website, as well as emphasizing, on multiple occasions and at different stages, the absolute need to meet all minimum requirements of a position prior to applying.

“Unfortunately, Bethany Paquette applied for a position when she knew, or ought to know, that she was unqualified for the position, did not meet the minimum requirements of the position, and did not hold the necessary certifications for the position.”

The requirements for an assistant guide on Amaruk’s website:

  •  No Violation under any Wildlife Legislatio
  • Current Active/Inactive PAWGI CWG certification
  • Current Advanced Wilderness First Aid (Red Cross, WMA, or NOLS)
  • Current Divemaster Certification (PADI, CMAS, or NAUI)
  • Valid Driver’s Licence
  • Minimum of 300 region-specific backcountry overnight days
  • Fluent in English
  • Fluent in official language of country of employment (if not English)
  • Meet AMARUK® minimum Fitness Standards:
  1. Be able to swim for 500 meters in under 12 minute
  2. Be able to perform a minimum of 42 push ups in 2 min max
  3. Be able to perform a minimum of 8 pull ups (no time limit)
  4. Be able to perform a 2.5km run in no more than 11 minutes

Bethany Paquette, Trinity Western grad, has prejudice claim rebuffed by tourism company – British Columbia – CBC News.

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Trinity Western grad attacked for being Christian in job rejection

2014/10/09 1 Comment

Interesting incident. The Norwegian company’s emails are pretty amazing and outrageous, whether or not one agrees with Trinity Western or not.

A Trinity Western University graduate says she was “attacked” over her religion by a Norwegian wilderness tourism company, just for applying for a job.

Bethany Paquette claims her application to work in Canada’s North for Amaruk Wilderness Corp. was rejected because she’s Christian.

“It did really hurt me and I did feel really attacked on the basis that I’m a Christian,” Paquette said.

In her complaint to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, Paquette outlines a series of emails from executives from Amaruk Wilderness Corp.

Paquette, an experienced river rafting guide, applied to be a wilderness guide for Amaruk’s Canadian operations in the North.

She says she was shocked when she read the rejection email from Olaf Amundsen, the company’s hiring manager.

He wrote that she wasnt qualified and “unlike Trinity Western University, we embrace diversity, and the right of people to sleep with or marry whoever they want.”

Trinity Western is the Christian university in Langley, B.C., where Paquette earned her biology degree.

All students must agree to a covenant prohibiting sexual intimacy outside heterosexual marriage, under pain of possible expulsion, which has led to controversy over the university’s new law school.

Paquette was furious and told CBC, “My beliefs have developed who I am as an individual, but they don’t come into play when I am doing my job.”

Her last line is critical – can she separate her personal beliefs when doing her job, presumably with clients who do not share her values?

Trinity Western grad attacked for being Christian in job rejection – British Columbia – CBC News.

Filed under Multiculturalism, Religion Tagged with , ,