Executive Summary – Official Languages in the Federal Public Service

(Disponible en français : Résumé – Les langues officielles dans la fonction publique fédérale) The purpose of the Official Languages Act (OLA) is to ensure respect for English and French as the official languages of Canada. Pursuant to the OLA and to regulations and current policies, federal institutions are guided by certain fundamental principles that help them ensure the equality of status and use of these two languages in their internal operations, among their employees and in their interactions with the public. The OLA sets out…

Impacts of COVID-19 on Employment in Canada by Sector

25 June 2020, 9:20 a.m. (Disponible en français : Impacts de la COVID-19 sur l’emploi au Canada par secteur d’activité) COVID-19 lockdown restrictions have reduced Canadian economic activity, particularly in certain sectors, as discussed in the HillNote Impacts of COVID-19 on Selected Sectors of Canada’s Economy. The employment impacts in March (week of 15−21), April (week of…

Executive Summary – Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada

(Disponible en français : Résumé – Les travailleurs étrangers temporaires au Canada) Temporary foreign workers have been an important feature of Canada’s labour market landscape for decades. In essence, temporary foreign workers are foreign nationals engaged in work activities who are authorized to enter and to remain in Canada for a limited period with the…

Income Supports and Labour Protections Available to Federally Regulated Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Revised on 6 July 2020, 12:25 p.m. Any substantive changes in this HillNote that have been made since the preceding issue are indicated in bold print. (Disponible en français : Mesures de soutien du revenu et de protection de la main-d’œuvre pour les employés des secteurs sous réglementation fédérale pendant la pandémie de la COVID-19) Some…

Precarious Employment in Canada: An Overview

(Disponible en français : Emploi précaire au Canada : un survol de la situation) What is precarious employment? Simply put, precarious employment is a “bad job”. However, problems arise when we try to define and measure more precisely the characteristics that constitute a “bad job”. According to the International Labour Organization, precarious employment refers to…

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National Day of Mourning: Remembering Those Killed or Injured on the Job

(Disponible en français : Jour de deuil national : Se souvenir de ceux qui sont décédés ou ont été blessés au travail) Since the early 1980s, Canadian labour unions have observed 28 April as a day of mourning for workers who were killed or injured as a result of workplace-related hazards and incidents. By 1991, 28…

Constitutional Protection of the Right to Strike

(Disponible en français : La protection constitutionnelle du droit de grève) On 30 January 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized a constitutional protection of the right to strike, ruling that it is an indispensable part of collective bargaining. The Court’s decision in Saskatchewan Federation of Labour v. Saskatchewan is likely to have important implications…

Women’s Representation on Corporate Boards in Canada

(Disponible en français : Représentation des femmes dans les conseils d’administration au Canada) You may also wish to consult other HillNotes in honour of International Women’s Day Canadian women earn a third of master’s degrees in business administration and play a greater role in the business sector than at any time in Canada’s history, yet…

The RCMP and the Right to Collective Bargaining

(Disponible en français : La GRC et le droit à la négociation collective) On 16 January 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada released its ruling on the right of members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to engage in collective bargaining. This decision is the latest contribution to the debate about the nature of…

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Employment and labour