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2024 annual report - Taking action against harassment and violence in work places under Canadian federal jurisdiction

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List of abbreviations and acronyms
AIRT
Air Transportation
BANK
Banking and Banks
BRID
Interprovincial Infrastructure (Bridges, Tunnels, Canals, and Causeways)
BROAD
Broadcasting (Television, Radio, and Internet)
COMM
Communications
EAHOR
Employer’s Annual Hazardous Occurrence Report
EAHVOR
Employer’s Annual Harassment and Violence Occurrence Report
ENER
Energy, Mining and Mineral Processing
FEED
Feed, Flour and Seed
FTE
Full-time Equivalent
GRAIN
Grain Handling and Grain Elevators
HV
Harassment and violence
HVP
Harassment and violence prevention
INDG
First Nations, Band Councils, and Indigenous Self-Governments (certain activities)
LONG
Longshoring, Stevedoring, Port, Harbour Operations and Pilotage
PIPE
Pipeline Transportation
POST
Postal Services and Postal Contractors
PUBS
Federal Public Services, Public Service Departments and Crown Corporations
RAIL
Rail Transportation
ROAD
Road Transportation
WATER
Water Transportation (Shipping and Ferries)

List of terms

The following definitions are used in this publication.

Applicable partner
A policy committee, or if no policy committee exists, a work place committee or the health and safety representative.
Designated recipient
A work unit in a work place or a person that is designated by the employer, to whom the notice of occurrence may be provided.
Employee
Any person employed by an employer.
Employer
Any person who employs 1 or more employees and includes an employers’ organization and any person who acts on behalf of an employer.
Employment

“Employment” is defined as:

  • all work or activities performed in carrying out assignments or requests made by the employer. It includes related activities not specifically covered by an assignment or request
  • any voluntary work or activities undertaken while on duty for the benefit of the employer, or
  • any activities undertaken while on duty with the consent or approval of the employer
Federal Jurisdiction

Federal jurisdiction covers:

  • any work, undertaking or business that is within the legislative authority of Parliament, and
  • any work deemed to be for the common good of 2 or more provinces and outside the exclusive authority of provincial legislatures
Full-time Equivalent (FTE)

Refers to the employment of 1 person full time. It may also refer to more than 1 person part time whose total working time is the equivalent of 1 person working full time. For example:

  • 100 people employed full time equals 100 FTEs
  • 10 people employed half time equals 5 FTEs
  • all 110 people combined represent 105 FTEs

FTE data contained in this report comes from Employer’s Annual Hazardous Occurrence Report (EAHOR) submissions from federally regulated employers.

Harassment and violence

Under Part II of the Canada Labour Code (the Code), harassment and violence means “any action, conduct or comment, including of a sexual nature, that can reasonably be expected to cause offence, humiliation or other physical or psychological injury or illness to an employee, including any prescribed action, conduct or comment.”

This includes all types of harassment and violence, including sexual harassment, sexual violence and domestic violence.

Occurrence
An occurrence of harassment and violence in the work place.
Principal party
An employee or employer who is the object of an occurrence.
Resolution process

The methods that an employer can use to resolve an occurrence. This includes:

  • negotiated resolution
  • conciliation
  • investigation
  • work place assessment
Responding party
The person who is alleged to have been responsible for an occurrence.
Work place
Any place where an employee is engaged in work for the employee’s employer pursuant to subsection 122(1) of the Canada Labour Code.

List of charts

List of tables

Executive summary

Following the coming into force of the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations on January 1, 2021, the Labour Program under Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) prepares and publishes, on behalf of the Minister, an annual report on statistical data relating to harassment and violence in work places under federal jurisdiction, pursuant to section 139.1 of the Canada Labour Code.

The report is based on data from the Employer’s Annual Harassment and Violence Occurrence Report (EAHVOR), which federally regulated employers are required to submit to the Labour Program for each reporting year.

The 2024 report marks the fourth consecutive year that the Labour Program has published the annual report. The report is based on 5,137 EAHVOR submissions, representing a 5% decrease from the previous year. Based on analysis of the 2024 EAHVOR data, this report demonstrates the need for ongoing efforts to ensure safe and respectful work places across the federal jurisdiction. The 2024 data provides a snapshot of the current landscape of work place harassment and violence, highlighting both progress and persistent challenges. The findings offer insight into emerging patterns and areas of concern, reflecting the importance of ongoing efforts to monitor work place safety. While certain indicators show improvement, the overall trends reinforce the need for sustained attention and targeted interventions to foster work places free from harassment and violence.

Key findings from the 2024 annual report

Introduction

Harassment and violence—including sexual harassment—is a serious issue . Many employees are hesitant to report incidents due to fear of retaliation, lack of support, or uncertainty about whether their experiences count as formal complaints (Canada Gazette). These behaviours can harm workers’ health, lead to missed workdays, and create financial burdens for employers.

To help address this, the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations (the Regulations) came into effect in 2021. The Regulations apply to all federally regulated work places under Part II (Occupational Health and Safety) of the Code, including the private sector, federal public service, and parliamentary work places. The goal is to reduce incidences of work place harassment and violence, enhance investigation and reporting practices, and foster safer, more respectful work environments across the federal jurisdiction.

Each year, the Labour Program under Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) publishes a report related to harassment and violence in work places under federal jurisdiction. This report is based on yearly submissions received by federally regulated employers through their Employer’s Annual Harassment and Violence Occurrence Report (EAHVOR).

The 2024 report marks the fourth year of reporting under the Regulations. The report is based on 5,137 EAHVOR submissions, representing a 5% decrease from the previous year. The report analyzes the types of incidents reported and how they were resolved.

The report is organized into 6 sections, offering insights into how work places are responding to these challenges:

Section 1 - About the data: Describes the data source and provides and overview of the employers and employees represented in this report.

Section 2 - Harassment and violence occurrences in federally regulated industries: Analyzes the distribution of reported harassment and violence occurrences across industries under federal jurisdiction.

Section 3 - Discrimination in harassment and violence occurrences: Assesses the presence and nature of discrimination within reported harassment and violence occurrences.

Section 4 - Relationships between parties: Examines the relationships between principal and responding parties involved in reported harassment and violence occurrences.

Section 5 - Resolution methods: Explores the approaches used by employers to resolve harassment and violence occurrences.

Section 6 - Moving forward: Concludes the report and presents recommendations for potential steps to address harassment and violence in federally regulated work places.

The report also includes a list of abbreviations and a glossary of terms to clarify terminology.

Section 1: About the data

The data presented in this publication is drawn from the Employer’s Annual Harassment and Violence Occurrence Report (EAHVOR), submitted by federally regulated employers to the Labour Program, pursuant to the Regulations.

This year's analysis is based on submissions received for the 2024 reporting year. Where applicable, data from previous years have been incorporated to support trend analysis and year-over-year comparisons.

Industries under federal jurisdiction

According to the Code, federal jurisdiction encompasses any work and/or undertaking or business that is within the legislative authority of the Parliament of Canada. This includes all work deemed to be for the common good of at least 2 provinces and outside the exclusive authority of provincial legislatures, such as international and interprovincial transport, banking, telecommunications, the federal public service and most Crown Corporations. Part II of the Code also applies to employers and employees covered under the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act.

Previous versions of the report classified crown corporations as private organizations, based on the nature of their work. The 2024 annual report addresses this by consolidating all Crown corporations, such as Canada Post and the Bank of Canada, into the public sector when comparing it to the private sector. This consolidation is not applied when analysing the data by federally regulated industry.

EAHVOR submissions

Since 2021, federally regulated employers have been required to submit an EAHVOR to the Labour Program by March 1 each year. An EAHVOR must include the following information:

For the 2024 reporting year, the Labour Program received 5,137 EAHVOR submissions that met the reporting requirements. As shown in Table 1.1, the number of submissions received in 2024 decreased by 256, or 5%, compared to 5,393 in 2023.

Table 1.1: EAHVOR submissions by federally regulated industry, 2023 vs 2024
Industry EAHVOR submissions in 2023 EAHVOR submissions in 2024
AIRT 764 763
BANK 66 63
BRID 7 8
BROAD 191 180
COMM 196 181
ENER 18 18
FEED 336 311
GRAIN 62 58
INDG 324 312
LONG 62 56
PIPE 24 23
POST 17 15
PUBS 480 490
RAIL 26 27
ROAD 2,673 2,498
WATER 147 134
Canada 5,393 5,137

The number of full-time equivalents (FTE) in this report was sourced from the Employer’s Annual Hazardous Occurrence Report (EAHOR), a companion report submitted by federally regulated employers under Part II (Occupational Health and Safety) of the Code. Of the 5,137 employers who submitted an EAHVOR in 2024 approximately 98% reported their organization’s FTE and the missing data was estimated based on comparable historical records. Based on FTE reports, the EAHVOR submissions presented in this report covered approximately 1.25 million employees in the federal jurisdiction.

Data comparability

While the data presented in this report provides insights into work place harassment and violence within federally regulated industries, it is important to recognize its limitations.

The report reflects only the HV occurrences for which a notice of occurrence was formally submitted to the employer under subsection 15(1) of the Regulations and subsequently reported to the Labour Program via the EAHVOR.

Due to the sensitive and personal nature of HV occurrences, there is likely a non-response bias in the data which is a common statistical challenge when collecting information on topics with a sensitive nature. The prevalence of harassment and violence is often underrepresented, and some individuals may choose not to report their experiences due to fear, stigma, or lack of trust in the reporting process; however, the fear of reprisal may contribute to underreporting of incidents. For example, data from 2022 Survey of Employees under the Federal Jurisdiction revealed that, among those who experienced harassment and violence at work, 52% did not file a formal complaint.

Due to the EAHVOR reporting mechanism, the number of HV occurrences analysed in this publication may differ from the number of occurrences reported through anonymous employee surveys.

Section 2: Harassment and violence occurrences in federally regulated industries

This section provides an overview of HV occurrences reported by federally regulated employers in 2024, and highlights trends across industries, private versus public sectors, and business sizes. It analyzes the distribution of incidents, with a focus on sexual versus non-sexual occurrences and the concentration of reports among organization type.

A HV occurrence is any reported action, conduct or comment which can reasonably be expected to cause offence, humiliation or other physical or psychological injury or illness to an employee. This includes all types of harassment and violence, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and domestic violence.

In 2024, federally regulated employers reported 7,523 HV occurrences – an increase of 5.7% compared to the 7,114 HV occurrences reported in 2023. Despite this overall rise, 9 out of 16 federally regulated industries experienced a decline or no change in reported HV occurrences indicating that the increase was concentrated in 7 sectors.

Tragically, one fatality related to harassment and violence was reported in 2024. This is consistent with the single fatality reported in 2023. This follows 3 fatalities reported in 2022 and none in 2021, highlighting a fluctuating but persistent concern regarding the most severe outcomes of work place harassment and violence.

Industry analysis

As Table 2.1 illustrates, the majority of HV occurrences reported in 2024 originated from 4 industries – Public Services (PUBS), Road transportation (ROAD), Air transportation (AIRT), and Postal Services (POST), which together reported a combined total of 5,638 HV occurrences, representing 75% of the total HV occurrences This proportion is consistent with 2023, when these same industries also represented the majority of reported cases.

Table 2.1: Harassment and violence (HV) occurrences by federally regulated industry in 2024
Industry Total number of HV occurrences* Total sexual HV occurrences Total non-sexual HV occurrences Total HV fatalities
AIRT 1,159 180 973 1
BANK 485 115 369 0
BRID 2 1 1 0
BROAD 69 14 53 0
COMM 314 31 283 0
ENER 58 7 51 0
FEED 26 7 14 0
GRAIN 34 13 21 0
INDG 518 41 438 0
LONG 69 9 59 0
PIPE 35 5 30 0
POST 712 31 681 0
PUBS 2,510 175 2,304 0
RAIL 208 16 191 0
ROAD 1,257 145 1,034 0
WATER 67 7 57 0
Canada 7,523 797 6,559 1

It is important to note that these 4 industries collectively employ over 776,000 FTEs within the federal jurisdiction. As shown in Chart 2.1, this workforce represents approximately 62% of all FTEs covered by employers who submitted an EAHVOR in 2024.

Chart 2.1: Shares (%) of total harassment and violence (HV) occurrences vs total FTEs by federally regulated industry in 2024*
Chart of Top Types of Goods Purchased by Value (in Millions): description follows
Chart 2.1 – Text description
Industry Share of total HV occurrences Share of total employees
BRID 0.03% 0.03%
FEED 0.3% 0.7%
GRAIN 0.5% 0.6%
PIPE 0.5% 0.5%
ENER 0.8% 0.6%
WATER 0.9% 1.0%
LONG 0.9% 1.1%
BROAD 0.9% 1.5%
RAIL 2.8% 2.6%
COMM 4.2% 5.7%
BANK 6.4% 21.6%
INDG 6.9% 2.1%
POST 9.5% 4.0%
AIRT 15.4% 9.5%
ROAD 16.7% 13.4%
PUBS 33.4% 35.0%
  • *Please note due to rounding, percentage values in some charts and tables may not add up to exactly 100%.

Chart 2.2 illustrates historic trends in the 4 industries with the largest share of HV occurrences. Between 2021 and 2024, the Public Services exhibited a strong and consistent upward trend, with reported occurrences increasing by more than 50% over the four-year period, Road Transportation experienced a sharp spike in 2022, reaching its peak that year, followed by a moderate decline in 2023 and then leveled off in 2024. Air Transportation demonstrated steady year over year growth, with occurrences more than tripling compared to 2021 levels. Meanwhile, Postal Services saw a steady rise until 2023, followed by a slight dip in 2024, suggesting a possible plateau.

Overall, the Public Services and Air Transportation industry are the primary drivers of growth in HV occurrences across the federal jurisdiction.

Chart 2.2: Harassment and violence (HV) occurrences in the top 4 federally regulated industries, 2021 to 2024
chart 2.2
Chart 2.2 – Text description
Industry 2021 2022 2023 2024
PUBS 1,664  1,885  2,129  2,510
ROAD 867  1,403  1,242  1,257
AIRT 357  711  1,094  1,159
POST 508  553  776  712

Sexual harassment and violence occurrences analysis

In 2024, the number of reported sexual HV occurrences declined by 23% dropping from 1,029 in 2023 to 797 (Chart 2.3). In contrast, non-sexual HV occurrences increased by 8%, rising from 6,060 in 2023 to 6,559 in 2024, and driving the overall growth in total reported cases.

Compared to more substantial increases in previous years, these figures suggest that both sexual and non-sexual HV occurrences may be beginning to stabilize. This potential levelling-off could indicate the early effects of prevention efforts, reporting fatigue or other systemic factors.

Chart 2.3: Sexual and non-sexual harassment and violence (HV) occurrences, 2021 to 2024
chart 2.3
Chart 2.3 – Text description
Year Sexual HV occurrences Non-sexual HV occurrences
2021 447 3,838
2022 722 4,915
2023 1,029 6,060
2024 797 6,559

As shown in Chart 2.4, 4 industries accounted for the majority (77%) of sexual HV occurrences reported in 2024:

Notably, Postal Services is no longer among the top 4, contributing only 4% of sexual HV occurrences. In contrast, the Banking sector emerged as a top industry for sexual HV occurrences, with about one-quarter (or 24%) of its total HV occurrences being sexual in nature – the highest proportion among the top 4. Conversely, the Public Services had the lowest ratio, with sexual HV occurrences making up just 7%.

Across the federal jurisdiction, sexual HV occurrences represented 11% of all reported cases in 2024, indicating a modest, but meaningful share of overall incidents.

Chart 2.4: Sexual and non-sexual harassment and violence (HV) occurrences by top 4 federally regulated industries in 2024
chart 2.4
Chart 2.4 – Text description
Industry Sexual HV occurrences Non-sexual HV occurrences
AIRT 180 973
PUBS 175 2,304
ROAD 145 1,034
BANK 115 369

All 4 industries experienced a decline in sexual HV occurrences compared to 2023. The most significant drop occurred in Road Transportation, which fell by 57% from 334 occurrences in 2023 to 145 in 2024, making it the third highest. This may suggest improved work place practices, or more effective prevention and response measures.  

Air Transportation and the Public Services reported the highest number of sexual HV occurrences in 2024 but showed only modest declines of 2% (from 183 in 2023 to 180 in 2024) and 8% (from 191 in 2023 to 175 in 2024) respectively. Banking saw a more notable decrease of 15%, dropping from 136 to 115 occurrences. Overall, while all 4 industries showed progress in reducing sexual HV occurrences, the varying degrees of decline highlight the need for continued efforts to ensure safer and more respectful work places across the board.

Public vs private sector analysis

In 2024, trends in HV occurrences diverged between the public and private sectors within the federal jurisdiction. The public sector, which includes federal departments, agencies, and Crown corporations, reported 3,250 HV occurrences, marking an 9.3% increase from 2,974 cases in 2023. The private sector experienced a 3.2% increase, with HV occurrences up from 4,140 in 2023 to 4,273 in 2024.

It is important to note that previous versions of the report classified crown corporations as private organizations, based on the nature of their work. For example, Canada Post and Bank of Canada were included as part of the Postal Services and Banking industry (the private sector). The 2024 annual report addresses this by consolidating all Crown corporations into the public sector, ensuring more accurate comparisons with the private sector.  

Between 2021 and 2024, the distribution of HV occurrences between the public and private sectors shifted noticeably. After the private sector’s share peaked at 60.6% in 2022, it declined for 2 consecutive years, reaching 56.8% in 2024 (Chart 2.5). Conversely, the public sector’s proportion rebounded from a low of 39.4% in 2022 to 43.2% in 2024, nearing its 2021 level. This trend suggests a narrowing gap between sectors and may reflect changes in reporting practices or organizational dynamics.

Chart 2.5: Share (%) of total harassment and violence (HV) occurrences in the public sector vs private sector, 2021 to 2024
chart 2.5
Chart 2.5 – Text description
Year Public sector share of total HV occurrences Private sector share of total HV occurrences
2021 45.2% 54.8%
2022 39.4% 60.6%
2023 41.8% 58.2%
2024 43.2% 56.8%

In addition, the share of sexual HV occurrences relative to total HV occurrences declined in both the public and private sectors, reversing the upward trend observed in previous years. Chart 2.6 highlights that the decrease was more pronounced in the private sector, where the share dropped by 5.8% percentage points (from 19.6% to 13.8%), compared to a 0.9 percentage point decline in the public sector (from 7.3% to 6.4%). This shift may reflect sector-specific changes in reporting patterns, incident dynamics, or prevention efforts.

Chart 2.6: Share (%) of sexual harassment and violence (HV) occurrences in the public sector vs private sector, out of total HV occurrences, 2021 to 2024
chart 2.6
Chart 2.6 – Text description
Year Share of sexual over total HV occurrences in the public sector Share of sexual over total HV occurrences in the private sector
2021 4.9% 12.4%
2022 4.8% 16.0%
2023 7.3% 19.6%
2024 6.4% 13.8%

The decrease in sexual HV occurrences was primarily driven by the private sector, which saw a significant reduction from 811 cases in 2023 to 588 in 2024. Meanwhile, the public sector reported a relatively stable trend, with a slight decrease from 218 to 209 cases over the same period, as shown in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2: Sexual harassment and violence (HV) occurrences in the public sector vs private sector, 2021 to 2024
Year Public sector sexual HV occurrences Private sector sexual HV occurrences
2021 110 337
2022 118 604
2023 218 811
2024 209 588

Business size analysis

Reporting trends vary significantly by business size, which is classified as small (fewer than 100 FTEs), medium (100 to 499 FTEs), or large (500 or more FTEs). As illustrated in Table 2.3, large employers reported significantly more sexual and non-sexual HV occurrences than small and medium-sized employers combined. In total, large organizations accounted for 6,097 cases, representing 81% of all reported occurrences within the federal jurisdiction.

While it is expected that larger organizations, due to their greater number of employees, would report more incidents, organizational culture may also play a critical role in influencing employees’ willingness to report harassment and violence.

Table 2.3: Harassment and violence (HV) occurrences by business size in 2024
Business size Total number of HV occurrences* Number of sexual HV occurrences Number of non-sexual HV occurrences
Small 517 58 333
Medium 909 104 777
Large 6,097 635 5,449
Total 7,523 797 6,559

Large employers (defined as those with 500 or more FTEs) were the most likely to report at least one HV occurrence, with 85.0% of them doing so on their EAHVOR. In contrast, only 40.2% of medium-sized employers and 5.9% of small employers reported at least one occurrence (Table 2.4). These proportions have remained relatively stable since 2021, suggesting that larger organizations are consistently more likely to report HV occurrences, potentially due to both their size, work place culture, and more established reporting mechanisms.

Table 2.4 Number and share (%) of EAHVOR submissions that reported at least 1 harassment and violence (HV) occurrence by business size in 2024
Business size Number of FTEs Number of submissions Number of submissions with at least 1 HV occurrence Share of businesses that reported at least 1 HV occurrence
Small 93,605 4,332 256 5.9%
Medium 124,107 585 235 40.2%
Large 1,036,578 220 187 85.0%
Total 1,254,290 5,137 678 13.2%

In total, 678 employers reported at least one HV occurrence in 2024, representing 13.2% of all federally regulated employers who submitted an EAHVOR. This marks a slight increase from 2023, when 639 employers reported at least one occurrence.

Notably, just 2% of reporting employers accounted for around 80% of all HV occurrences. Among the top 100 employers with the highest number of reported HV occurrences: 83 were large, 13 were medium and 4 were small. This concentration underscores the disproportionate impact and reporting activity among a small subset of large organizations.

Section 3: Discrimination in harassment and violence occurrences

Federally regulated employers are required to report, if known, the number of HV occurrences that fall under each prohibited ground of discrimination as set out in the Canadian Human Rights Act. Section 3 highlights these HV occurrences, based on the following prohibited grounds of discrimination:

In 2024, federally regulated employers identified 1,453 occurrences of discrimination, an increase of 3% or 37 cases up from 1,416 reported in 2023. Each occurrence was related to at least 1 of the prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act. It is important to note that a single occurrence may involve multiple grounds of discrimination. Furthermore, it is possible for grounds of discrimination in an HV occurrence to not be reported or misidentified by the employer.

The most reported grounds of discrimination in 2024 were:

These 4 grounds of discrimination made up nearly 74% of all the instances of discrimination reported in HV occurrences in 2024. They were also the top 4 reported grounds since 2021.

As Chart 3.1 illustrates, the proportions of 3 of the top 4 grounds of discrimination -race, disability and national and ethnic origin, have remained mostly unchanged between 2021 to 2024, fluctuating by 1.5 to 3%. In contrast, the share of sex-based discrimination fell by 6.5% from 2021 to 2022 and by an additional 1.5% over the following 3 years. Despite this decrease in relative share, the actual number of HV occurrences involving sex-based discrimination has steadily increased. However, other forms of discrimination grew at a faster rate, shifting the overall distribution of reported cases. From 2021–2023, sex-based discrimination consistently exceeded race-based discrimination, but in 2024, their shares became equal.

These trends suggest a growing awareness and responsiveness among federally regulated employers in identifying and reporting various forms of discrimination within HV occurrences. The consistent rise in reported cases across all top grounds indicates that while sex-based discrimination remains a significant concern, other types of discrimination are increasingly being recognized and documented. This shift may reflect evolving work place dynamics, changing societal attitudes, and improved mechanisms for identifying and reporting diverse forms of discrimination.

Chart 3.1: Share (%) of the top 4 grounds of discrimination in harassment and violence (HV) occurrences, 2021 to 2024
chart 3.1
Chart 3.1 – Text description
Year Sex Race Disability National or ethnic origin
2021 30.6% 21.2% 13.1% 10.4%
2022 24.1% 22.5% 13.7% 11.6%
2023 23.0% 21.7% 14.0% 11.2%
2024 22.6% 22.7% 16.2% 12.2%

Industry analysis

In 2024, as shown in Table 3.1, the 4 industries with the highest number of HV occurrences reported varying numbers across the top 4 grounds of discrimination. Sex was the most frequently reported ground in the Postal Services industry, while race was prevalent in both the Air Transportation and Road Transportation. In the Public Services, disability-based discrimination ranked highest. The second-most reported ground of discrimination also varied across the 4 industries: sex ranked second- in the Air Transportation, Road Transportation and the Public Services, whereas disability was the second in Postal Services. These variations suggest that industry-specific factors, such as workforce composition, public visibility, and organizational culture, may influence both the prevalence and reporting of different types of discrimination.

Table 3.1: Grounds of discrimination in harassment and violence (HV) occurrences by federally regulated industry in 2024
Industry Total grounds of discrimination Sex Race Disability National or ethnic origin All other grounds*
AIRT 187 46 47 14 24 56
BANK 104 23 24 15 14 28
BRID 0 0 0 0 0 0
BROAD 25 10 3 0 2 10
COMM 61 11 18 13 8 11
ENER 12 6 3 0 1 2
FEED 4 1 0 1 0 2
GRAIN 7 0 4 0 2 1
INDG 37 9 9 2 8 9
LONG 3 2 1 0 0 0
PIPE 4 1 2 1 0 0
POST 102 28 16 25 9 24
PUBS 683 141 117 149 83 193
RAIL 23 2 5 7 3 6
ROAD 194 45 79 9 22 39
WATER 7 3 2 0 1 1
Canada 1,453 328 330 236 177 382

As Chart 3.2 shows, the number of HV occurrences linked to grounds of discrimination in the Public Services has notably grown by about 31% in 2024 (683) compared to 2023 (523), but in the Road Transportation, Air Transportation and Postal Services industries, this number has decreased between 2023 and 2024.

Chart 3.2: Discrimination in harassment and violence (HV) occurrences by federally regulated industry, 2021 to 2024
chart 3.2
Chart 3.2 – Text description
Year PUBS ROAD AIRT POST
2021 416 122 97 53
2022 551 176 198 47
2023 523 247 214 135
2024 683 194 187 102

Public vs private sector analysis

Chart 3.3. illustrates how the 4 most common grounds of discrimination in HV occurrences - disability, race, sex, and national or ethnic origin, were reported in differing proportions across the public and private sectors. Disability accounted for the largest share in the public sector, while race was most prevalent in the private sector. Sex was the second most reported ground in both sectors. Notably, the private sector’s share of race-based discrimination, was about 13% higher than that of the public sector. Conversely, the public sector reported nearly three times more instances of disability-related discrimination than the private sector. This disparity may be influenced by a higher representation of workers with disabilities in the public sector (according to labour market analysis from Statistics Canada, 28% of employees with disabilities work in the public sector compared to 23% without disabilities). It remains unclear whether the elevated statistics reflect a greater incidence of discrimination or simply a workforce composition that leads to more reported cases. These findings underscore the importance of considering contextual factors, such as workforce demographics and reporting practices when interpreting discrimination data, as they can significantly influence the patterns observed across sectors.

Chart 3.3: Share (%) of the top 4 grounds of discrimination in harassment and violence (HV) occurrences in the public sector vs private sector in 2024
chart 3.3
Chart 3.3 – Text description
Sector Sex Race Disability National or Ethnic Origin
Public 21.5% 16.9% 22.5% 11.7%
Private 23.9% 29.7% 8.8% 12.7%

Business size analysis

In 2024, as illustrated in Table 3.2, large businesses reported a disproportionately high number of HV occurrences involving discrimination, accounting for 90% of such cases, despite representing 81% of total HV occurrences within the federal jurisdiction. This imbalance suggests that discrimination is more frequently identified or reported in larger organizations, possibly due to more formalized reporting structure or greater workforce diversity. Among the top 4 grounds of discrimination reported in 2024, sex was most commonly reported by small employers, race by medium employers, and large employers reported nearly equal shares of sex and race-based discrimination. Notably, large organizations reported a significantly higher proportion of disability-related discrimination than small and medium businesses combined, a trend likely influenced by the predominance of large employers in the public sector where disability-related cases are more prevalent. These findings point to the importance of considering organizational size and sector when analysing patterns of reported discrimination.

Table 3.2: Share (%) of the top 4 grounds of discrimination in harassment and violence (HV) occurrences by business size in 2024
Business size Total grounds of discrimination Sex (%) Race (%) Disability (%) National or ethnic origin (%)
Small 39 30.8% 20.5% 2.6% 12.8%
Medium 109 23.9% 24.8% 11.9% 15.6%
Large 1,305 22.2% 22.6% 17.0% 11.9%
Total 1,453 22.6% 22.7% 16.2% 12.2%

Section 4: Relationships between parties

Federally regulated employers must report on the types of professional relationships that exist between the principal and responding parties, in each HV occurrence, where the principal party, is the employee or employer who is the object of the occurrence, and the responding party, is the person who is alleged to have been responsible for the occurrence.

This section highlights these reported relationships, as classified into 6 categories to describe the connection between the parties involved in an HV occurrence. A single occurrence can involve multiple relationships, as more than 1 individual may be responsible for the occurrence. The 6 relationship types on the EAHVOR are:

  1. Employee to Employee: The principal party and responding party are both employees.
  2. Employee to Supervisor, Manager, or Business Owner: The principal party is an employee, while the responding party is a supervisor, manager, business owner, or other individual in a supervisory role.
  3. Employee to Third Party, Client, Contractor, or Member of the Public: The principal party is an employee, while the responding party is someone outside of the organization.
  4. Supervisor, Manager, or Business Owner to Employee: The principal party is a supervisor, manager, business owner, or other individual in a supervisory role, while the responding party is an employee.
  5. Employee to Other: The principal party is an employee, while the responding party identified does not fall into one of the other identified categories.
  6. Employee to a Domestic Partner: The principal party is an employee, while the responding party is a domestic partner.

In 2024, federally regulated employers reported varying levels of HV occurrences across the 6 relationship types:

As Chart 4.1 illustrates, employee to employee and employee to supervisor/manager/business owner accounted for nearly 78% of reported relationships in 2024. The percentage shares of each relationship have been relatively stable since 2021.

Chart 4.1: Share (%) of harassment and violence (HV) occurrence relationships, 2021 to 2024*
chart 4.1
Chart 4.1 – Text description
Year Employee to employee Employee to supervisor, manager, business owner Employee to third party Supervisor, manager, business owner to employee
2021 41.6% 37.7% 11.2% 6.9%
2022 42.6% 35.0% 13.5% 6.3%
2023 41.9% 37.1% 13.1% 5.1%
2024 39.4% 38.6% 13.2% 6.1%

Industry analysis

The most frequently reported HV relationship type varied by industry. As shown in Table 4.1, the “employee to employee” relationship was the most common relationship type in the Air and Road Transportation industry, while “employee to supervisor, manager, or business owner” was most frequently reported in the Public Services and Postal Services industries. These findings were consistent with those observed in 2023.

Table 4.1: Harassment and violence (HV) occurrence relationships (principal party to responding party) by federally regulated industry in 2024*
Industry Total HV occurrence relationships Employee to employee Employee to supervisor, manager, or business owner Employee to third party, client, contractor, or member of the public Supervisor, manager, or business owner to employee Employee to other Employee to a domestic partner
AIRT 1,111 747 276 28 43 16 1
BANK 483 154 247 61 11 7 3
BRID 2 0 1 1 0 0 0
BROAD 70 34 12 8 0 16 0
COMM 314 121 111 61 4 16 1
ENER 58 27 21 1 9 0 0
FEED 25 13 8 1 3 0 0
GRAIN 34 15 14 4 1 0 0
INDG 505 196 130 116 45 16 2
LONG 67 26 24 4 4 9 0
PIPE 35 14 17 2 1 1 0
POST 716 197 316 19 128 52 4
PUBS 2,660 751 1,303 451 133 9 13
RAIL 207 100 96 3 8 0 0
ROAD 1,262 578 328 243 70 39 4
WATER 64 23 35 2 2 1 1
Canada 7,613 2,996 2,939 1,005 462 182 29

Third-party relationships

Employers in several industries require their employees to interact with individuals outside of their organization, such as members of the public, outside clients, contractors and others. These individuals are categorized on the EAHVOR as “third party, client, contractor, or member of the public”. Among the 6 relationship types, third party relationship are often the most difficult to manage, as the responding party is external to the organization. It is therefore important to analyse this commonly reported relationship type separately.

Data from 2024 underscores the persistent and growing challenge of managing third party relationships, with 1,005 reported cases, representing 13.2% of all HV relationships. This proportion has remained stable over recent years, indicating that the underlying risks have not significantly changed. Employers continue to face limited control over external actors, making third party interactions a consistent source of concern.

Chart 4.2 illustrates the distribution of HV occurrences involving a third-party relationship across all industries. Over 80% of all these occurrences were reported in the Public Services, Indigenous and Road Transportation industries. Compared to 2023   Postal Services saw a sharp decline in third-party related HV occurrences from 221 in 2023 to 19 in 2024, suggesting mitigation strategies may be yielding positive results. Meanwhile, the Public Services and the Indigenous industries experienced significant increases of 64% and 84% respectively, reaching 451 and 116 HV occurrences in 2024. Road Transportation saw a more modest increase of 13%.

These findings highlight the need for continued monitoring and tailored approaches to address the complexities of third-party relationships and to promote safer work environments across all sectors.

Chart 4.2: Harassment and violence (HV) occurrences involving a third-party relationship by federally regulated industry in 2024
chart 4.2
Chart 4.2 – Text description
Industry Employee to third-party relationship
PUBS 451
ROAD 243
INDG 116
BANK 61
COMM 61
AIRT 28
POST 19
BROAD 8
GRAIN 4
LONG 4
RAIL 3
PIPE 2
WATER 2
ENER 1
FEED 1
BRID 1

Public vs private sector analysis

When comparing the public and private sectors, the distribution of HV relationship types shows notable differences. As illustrated in Chart 4.3, direct employee to employee relationships were more prevalent in the private sector. In contrast, relationships involving a supervisor, manager, business owner were significantly more common in the public sector. Third party involvement, interactions with clients, contractors, or members of the public, was also lightly more frequent in the public sector.

Chart 4.3: Share (%) of harassment and violence (HV) occurrence relationships in the public sector vs private sector in 2024*
chart 4.3
Chart 4.3 – Text description
Sector Employee to employee Employee to supervisor, manager, business owner Employee to third party Supervisor, manager, business owner to employee
Public 28.3% 47.9% 13.8% 7.7%
Private 48.3% 31.1% 12.7% 4.8%

Business size analysis

As shown in Table 4.2 employee to employee HV occurrences was the most frequently reported relationship for small and medium sized businesses and the second-most common for large businesses. In contrast, supervisors, managers, or business owners were the most commonly identified responding party for large businesses, accounting for 41% of all reported relationships. This relationship type was notably less prevalent in smaller organizations, representing approximately 23% of cases in small businesses, and close to 31% in medium-sized businesses. This indicates that authoritative dynamics and hierarchical relationships may play a more significant role in HV occurrences in larger organizations.

Table 4.2: Number and share (%) of harassment and violence (HV) occurrence responding parties by business size in 2024
Business size Total HV occurrence relationships Employee to employee Employee to supervisor, manager, business owner (%) Employee to third party (%) Supervisor, manager, business owner to employee (%) 
Small 502 52.4% 23.1% 12.9% 8.0%
Medium 888 43.6% 30.6% 14.8% 8.1%
Large 6,223 37.7% 41.0% 13.0% 5.6%
Total 7,613 39.4% 38.6% 13.2% 6.1%

Section 5: Resolution methods

Under the Regulations, federally regulated employers are required to initiate the resolution process for all HV occurrences within 45 days of an occurrence being reported. Employers may use one or more resolution methods, in their efforts to resolve the matter between the parties involved.

Section 5 outlines this resolution process and highlights the employer-reported resolution method, and the number of HV occurrences involved.

There are 4 recognized resolution methods:

  1. Negotiated Resolution: Any form of communication between the participating parties to discuss the occurrence and attempt to reach agreement on possible actions to resolve the occurrence.
  2. Conciliation: voluntary process where the principal and responding parties agree to resolve the occurrence through discussion, or a series of discussions with the assistance of a mutually selected neutral third-party conciliator. This conciliator may be a professional mediator, a supervisor, an Elder, a religious figure, a colleague, or another trusted individual.
  3. Investigation: If the occurrence is not resolved through negotiated resolution or conciliation, the principal party may request an investigation. An investigation must be carried out if the principal party requests it. A qualified investigator is selected as outlined in the provisions within the Regulations.

    Note: Once an investigator has provided their report, negotiated resolution or conciliation are no longer available options.

  4. Work Place Assessment: An assessment done by the designated employer representative in collaboration with the applicable partner (for example: policy committee or, if there is no policy committee, the work place committee or the health and safety representative). The assessment identifies risks of harassment and violence and outlines preventative measures.

Reporting resolution methods

Employers must report the final resolution method used to for each HV occurrence in their EAHVOR. Discrepancies between the total number of resolution methods reported and the number of resolved occurrences may arise if:

In 2024, a total of 5,940 resolution methods were reported - approximately 40 fewer than in 2023:

Trends and observations

As illustrated in Chart 5.1, investigations have consistently been the most common resolution method since EAHVOR reporting began in 2021, followed by negotiated resolutions.

The evolving nature resolution methods suggests a shift in how organizations are responding to HV occurrences. A notable trend in 2024 is the increased utilization of investigations, which rose by 4.6% (from 42.1% in 2023 to 46.7% in 2024) while negotiated resolutions declined by 4.1% (from 39.4% in 2023 to 35.3% in 2024). This shift indicates a growing reliance on formal accountability and structured resolution processes in federally regulated work places.

Chart 5.1: Share (%) of harassment and violence (HV) occurrence resolution methods, 2021 to 2024
chart 5.1
Chart 5.1 – Text description
Year Investigation Negotiated Resolution Work Place Assessment Conciliation
2021 47.3% 39.2% 6.8% 6.8%
2022 50.2% 32.4% 11.8% 5.6%
2023 42.1% 39.4% 10.6% 7.9%
2024 46.7% 35.3% 12.3% 5.7%

Industry analysis

The most common resolution method for HV occurrences varied across the top 4 industries that reported the most occurrences in 2024 - Air Transportation, Road Transportation, Postal Services and the Public Services. As shown in Table 5.1, investigations were the predominate resolution method in Road Transportation accounting for nearly two-thirds (64%) of all resolutions. Investigations were also frequently used in the Public Services and Air Transportation industry; though to a lesser extent at 38% and 50% respectively. In contrast, the Postal Service industry relied on least favouring negotiated resolution instead.

Notably, although the Banking and Indigenous industries were not among the top 4 industries by HV occurrences, they reported more investigations and total resolution methods than Postal Services. These differences in resolution methods suggest that organizational practices and capacities for handling harassment and violence vary significantly across sectors. While some sectors rely more heavily on formal investigations others prioritize negotiated resolution. The variation in resolution methods across industries underscores the need for tailored, sector-specific approaches to effectively address harassment and violence.

Table 5.1: Harassment and violence (HV) occurrence resolution methods by federally regulated industry in 2024*
Industry Total number of resolutions Investigation Negotiated resolution Work place assessment Conciliation
AIRT 1,114 560 446 53 55
BANK 451 261 116 56 18
BRID 0 0 0 0 0
BROAD 64 32 10 21 1
COMM 272 105 118 45 4
ENER 62 30 29 0 3
FEED 25 17 4 1 3
GRAIN 29 20 8 0 1
INDG 472 217 144 43 68
LONG 63 50 8 1 4
PIPE 34 11 9 3 11
POST 395 39 223 104 29
PUBS 1,754 674 704 314 62
RAIL 182 103 64 9 6
ROAD 966 622 197 79 68
WATER 57 35 15 3 4
Canada 5,940 2,776 2,095 732 337

Public vs private sector analysis

In 2024, the most common resolution method for HV occurrences differed between the public and private sectors. As illustrated in Chart 5.2, investigations were significantly more common in the private sector, accounting for 54.4% of all resolutions, compared to just 33.5% in the public sector. Conversely, negotiated resolutions are more prevalent in the public sector (43.1%) than in the private sector (30.8%).

Work place assessments were notably more common in the public sector, which conducted more than twice as many (19.3%) as the private sector (8.3%). Conciliations remained relatively rare in both sectors, though they were slightly more frequent in the private sector (6.5%) than in the public sector (4.2%). The significantly higher use of work place assessments in the public sector may reflect a broader organizational commitment to addressing root causes and identifying preventative measures.

Chart 5.2: Share (%) of harassment and violence (HV) occurrence resolution methods in the public sector vs private sector in 2024
chart 5.2
Chart 5.2 – Text description
Sector Investigation Negotiated Resolution Work Place Assessment Conciliation
Public 33.5% 43.1% 19.3% 4.2%
Private 54.4% 30.8% 8.3% 6.5%

Business size analysis

In 2024, investigations were the most common method for resolving HV occurrences across all business sizes, as shown in Table 5.2. This marks a shift from 2023, when large organizations most frequently reported using negotiated resolutions. 2024 reported data reveals:

Table 5.2: Number and share (%) of harassment and violence (HV) occurrence resolution methods by business size in 2024
Business size Total number of resolutions Investigation (%) Negotiated resolution (%) Work place assessment (%) Conciliation (%)
Small 406 44.8% 29.1% 15.8% 10.3%
Medium 807 61.2% 21.2% 5.6% 12.0%
Large 4,727 44.4% 38.2% 13.2% 4.2%
Total 5,940 46.7% 35.3% 12.3% 5.7%

Section 6: Moving forward

The 2024 annual report analyzes trends in work place harassment and violence across federally regulated industries. With the introduction of the HVP framework, an initial increase in reporting was anticipated following the implementation of the Regulations in 2021. This initial surge in reporting reflected progress as workers became more aware of their rights and felt more comfortable reporting incidents.

In 2024, reporting levels appear to be stabilizing. Although the total number of reported harassment and violence occurrences rose slightly by 5.7% compared to 2023, the rate of growth has leveled off, suggesting a shift toward a more consistent reporting pattern.

The private sector also reported a 3.2% increase in total HV occurrences in 2024, while cases of sexual harassment and violence declined across most industries. This may be due to better awareness among employees, more trust in the reporting process, and employers being better equipped to handle these issues.

Some industries, especially Public Services and Air Transportation, and larger organizations, reported more cases than others. This shows where focused support and resources could make the biggest difference. A small number of industries have a disproportionate number of HV occurrences and account for most of the overall growth. This concentration highlights areas where targeted interventions and tailored supports could have the greatest impact.

To promote safer and more respectful work places, the Labour Program is supporting several targeted harassment and violence prevention measures. One key initiative is the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund (Fund), a grants and contributions program offering federal funding to federally-regulated stakeholders to support projects that help create safer, healthier, and more respectful work places in the federally regulated private sector. Through this Fund, the Labour Program has supported 14 projects to help employers and unions use tools and best practices tailored to their sectors. In fiscal year 2023-24, the Labour Program also invited more applications to expand the Registry of Investigators and increasing the total number of investigators on the Registry to 120. The assessment of new investigators focused primarily on their professional experience and subject-matter knowledge. Through this process investigators were also able to identify a broader set of asset qualifications such as relevant training completed or provided to others; intersectionality assets; as well as relevant professional designations or licences.

These initiatives demonstrate the Labour Program’s continued commitment to safer, more respectful work places. By working closely with employer and employee groups, the Labour Program is helping ensure that all federally regulated workers are protected from harassment and violence.

The Code requires that the harassment and violence provisions be reviewed every 5 years. The first legislative review began in January 2026. The findings from this review, along with EAHVOR data, will help shape future improvements to Canada’s work place harassment and violence prevention framework.

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From:

2026-05-26