Government of Canada protects federally regulated workers

News release

June 21, 2024               Gatineau, Quebec       Employment and Social Development Canada

The Government of Canada is growing the economy in a way that helps every generation get ahead. This includes fair protection for working Canadians by tackling the big issues in our workplaces and in our society that are holding workers back.

Today, Minister of Labour, Seamus O’Regan Jr., welcomed royal assent of legislative changes to support federally regulated employees when it comes to accessing the benefits and protections they’re entitled to, maintaining a healthy work-life balance and having the time they need for health challenges or becoming a parent.

More specifically, these changes to the Canada Labour Code will:

  • protect gig workers’ access to the rights, protections and entitlements of employees under each part of the Code by strengthening the prohibition against misclassification, including through a presumption of employee status.
  • improve work-life balance by requiring employers to issue right to disconnect policies in consultation with employees or unions;
  • support workers who have experienced the loss of a pregnancy with a new three-day paid leave; and,
  • bring in a new 16-week unpaid leave for parents welcoming children by adoption or surrogacy, ensuring they have job protection when they access a corresponding Employment Insurance benefit once it is fully implemented.

The Minister commends the many employers who provide benefits and leaves that go above and beyond the minimum standards of the Labour Code. For workers in workplaces where this is not the case, these changes represent the new minimum standards that all employers will be held to in federally regulated industries. Changes to better protect gig workers come into effect immediately; all other changes will require regulations and are expected to come into effect next year to ensure employers have enough time to prepare.

Quotes

“Right to disconnect. Parental leave. Banning worker misclassification. It’s all about making life better for workers. So every worker can be at their best”

– Minister of Labour and Seniors, Seamus O’Regan Jr.

"We are listening to Canadians and making changes to better reflect family life in Canada today. All parents deserve time to welcome their children home, and all children benefit from that time. I am very pleased that parents going through adoption and surrogacy will soon have the same access as other parents to the time and support they need to welcome their new children home.”

– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault

Quick facts

  • There are approximately 19,150 employers in federally regulated private sector industries, including federal Crown corporations that together employ approximately 1,020,000 people (about 6% of all employees in Canada).

  • The federally regulated private sector is composed of workplaces from a broad range of industries, including interprovincial air, rail, road, and marine transportation; pipelines; banks; and postal and courier services.

  • It’s estimated that 41,000 gig workers currently operate in federally regulated industries. Examples of gig workers in federally regulated industries include some self-employed truck drivers, couriers, network technicians, freelancers, artists and cultural workers.

  • The new 15-week shareable Employment Insurance benefit for parents welcoming children by adoption or surrogacy benefit is expected to provide support for approximately 1,700 Canadian families each year.

Associated links

Contacts

For media enquiries, please contact:

Hartley Witten
Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister of Labour and Seniors, Seamus O’Regan Jr.
343-575-1065

hartley.witten@labour-travail.gc.ca

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