Budget 2024: Work-Life Balance, Gig Workers, Employment Equity, Forced Labour And Replacement Workers

The 2024 Federal Budget ("Budget 2024") proposes several changes to federal employment laws. Although the proposed changes are only summarized in Budget 2024, following are the key changes federally regulated employers may see soon.

Establishment of a right to disconnect

In Budget 2024, the federal government announced its intention to amend the Canada Labour Code to establish a right to disconnect for ‎federally regulated employers. Although most employers in Canada fall under the scope of provincial labour and employment laws, the government signaled that employers in federally regulated sectors including banking, telecommunications, and transportation, for example, would be subject to limitations in respect of after-hours work. However, unlike the Budget 2024 summary, the proposed Canada Labour Code amendments subsequently released by the Department of Finance do not mandate a strict "right to disconnect". Instead, if passed in their current form, the