On that stuff, I stand on the side of "the law is the law". If they cannot wear the gear, then they should do a different job or not ride a motorcycle if they cannot comply. Nobody is forcing them to comply - only to comply if they want to participate. This is especially true in Canada, because of social medicine, the state would be forced to bear a bigger burden if one of these people was injured because they failed to be wearing safety gear.
Example in Minneapolis Airport: Some of the taxi drivers there, being Muslim, refuse to take passengers who might be carrying alcohol, which is against their religion. They have even refused to carry guide dogs or helper dogs (
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=116428 ) - which is again against their religion.
If that is an issue, perhaps they should get a different job. Nobody is denying them the personal freedom to do whatever they want, but there are also guidelines and policies that come with most jobs, and you need to be able to fill them. We don't hire blind taxi drivers, and generally we don't hire deaf people to answer phones. Some things are "obvious".