Workplace laws in Canada are in a state of flux following
several announcements made by provincial and federal governments in
recent weeks. For example, the federal government announced its intention to introduce proactive pay
equity legislation. The most recent of these announcements is
federal Bill C-86, Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2, which
had a first reading on October 29, 2018, and would bring sweeping
changes to the Canada Labour Code. These changes, if
implemented, will impose greater costs and obligations on federally
regulated employers in Canada (such as telecommunications
companies, airlines, railways and interprovincial transportation
companies, banks, etc.).
These changes would provide greater protection to workers, and
they come at a strategic time. In Ontario, Bill 47 sets out to repeal many of the
amendments the former liberal provincial government introduced
through Bill 148. The federal government has been quite vocal about
its disapproval