moved for leave to introduce Bill C-620, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (training without remuneration).
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to introduce a bill that would offer the same workplace protections to unpaid interns under the Canada Labour Code that are already provided to paid employees.
I would like to note my colleague from Davenport's exceptional work on this issue and I thank him for seconding this bill.
Youth unemployment is currently double the national average, and many companies are replacing entry-level positions with unpaid internships. In the absence of federal laws to protect them, unpaid interns are often at risk of being exploited.
In 2011, 22-year-old Edmontonian Andy Ferguson died in a head-on collision when he fell asleep at the wheel after working excessive hours, some of which were as an unpaid intern. Unfortunately, protections such as the ones in this bill were not in place when this accident occurred.
This bill will establish clear rules, particularly in relation to reasonable hours of work and protection against sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions. It will also prevent companies from turning paid jobs into unpaid internships.
I urge all of the members of the House to support my bill. It is time we put an end to the exploitation of interns and started protecting young workers.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)