Labour Day Statement

Statement

September 3, 2018      Gatineau, Quebec       Employment and Social Development Canada

Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, issued the following statement recognizing Labour Day in Canada.

“I am honoured to celebrate with you the many accomplishments of Canadian workers and Canada’s labour movement. Without these tremendous efforts and achievements, we would not have the many labour rights and benefits that we have today.

Across the country and through generations, workplaces have changed significantly, and our government knows that as they evolve, so too must the labour standards in those workplaces.

We are working hard to update federal labour standards to ensure that they reflect current workplace realities, respond to the emerging needs of today’s workforce, and help build more productive workplaces where everyone has an equal and fair chance at success.

We have already made a number of important updates, such as introducing the right to request flexible working arrangements, new leaves, and protections for interns. In addition, between May 2017 and March 2018, we consulted with thousands of Canadians, unions, stakeholders, academics and experts on the changing nature of work and what a modern and robust set of federal labour standards should look like. The results of those consultations are in the report What We Heard: Modernizing Federal Labour Standards. The report is now available online, and I invite you to read it. We will be carefully considering what we heard in the consultations as we get ready to move forward with additional changes to federal labour standards.

Our government made a promise to strengthen the middle class and grow the Canadian economy. We have made significant progress over the past years, but our work is far from over.

In addition to modernizing federal labour standards, we will continue to partner with Canadians in bringing forth other legislation. In the coming months, we will be moving forward on making workplaces safer with Bill C-65, legislation that aims to prevent harassment and violence in federally regulated and parliamentary workplaces. We will also make progress on creating fairer workplaces with the introduction of proactive pay equity legislation and new pay transparency measures to help address the gender wage gap.

As we celebrate our shared commitment to supporting fair, safe and productive workplaces, I wish all Canadians a safe and happy Labour Day.”

Associated Links

Labour Program
Workplace health and safety 
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

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Contacts

For media enquiries, please contact:

Véronique Simard
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
veronique.simard@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
819-654-5611

Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
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