Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning to you.
Good morning to the members of the committee on a very cold morning. I'm joined by my deputy minister, Sandra Hassan, and by Brian Leonard from my department.
Of course, we are meeting today on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
My job as the Minister of Labour is to support workers and employers and to create good jobs. Most importantly, what we can do for Canadians and for our country as a whole is to make sure that every worker has a good, well-paid, stable job, jobs that they can be proud of, with people who respect them and respect their skills.
The tripartite relationship between our government, unions and employers is essential to this work. That tripartite relationship is what makes our economy so strong. I'm very proud of the relationships I've built with workers and industry.
This year, we requested $3.1 million to support the implementation of 10 days of paid sick leave for all workers within the federal jurisdiction. The legislation and regulations came into force on December 1. Paid sick leave will protect workers and their families and will protect their jobs, protect their colleagues and protect our economy. It means that workers won't have to choose between getting paid and getting better.
The legislation for paid sick leave was passed unanimously in the House. I want to recognize the strong working relationship with my critic at the time, who now serves on this committee, the member for Parry Sound—Muskoka, as well as the member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, the deputy leader of the NDP.
We’ll use this new funding to develop training, update information technology systems and adapt our compliance and enforcement strategies.
We also requested $1.7 million to support the completion of the Employment Equity Act review. This is operating funding for skills and resources required to support the next phase of the review that is following the release of the task force report.
In keeping with my mandate, we will amend the Canada Labour Code to include mental health as a specific component of occupational health and safety. We will require federally regulated employers to take preventive measures to address workplace stress issues and injury risks.
In addition, we believe in equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The working group reviewing the Employment Equity Act has resumed its work and should complete its analysis this summer. I look forward to reading its findings.
I am also quite proud to say that Canada, along with the provinces and territories, has ratified International Labour Organization Convention No. 190, which will help eliminate violence and harassment in the workplace. During this event, I was joined by my colleague, the member for Thérèse-De Blainville, who sits on this committee.
We are doing big things for workers, and we are doing big things for employers in this country. We are making workplaces safer, healthier and better places to be. That is good for workers. It is good for employers. It is good for our economy.
I will leave it there, Mr. Chair. I look forward to taking questions.