Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), the labour program held initial regulatory consultations between June and August 2019 with federally regulated stakeholders, including employer and employee representatives.
Subsequently, on December 21, 2021, the labour program launched an online consultation to obtain further stakeholder input on the proposed regulations related to equal treatment and temporary help agency provisions. Stakeholders were asked to provide feedback on a discussion paper, Discussion Paper: Fall 2021 Labour Program External Consultations - Regulatory Initiatives under the Canada Labour Code. The consultation ended on February 21, 2022.
With regard to part (b), a summary report was not prepared for these consultations. The labour program received nine submissions from employer and employee representatives operating in the federal jurisdiction, as well as community organizations.
In summary, some employers requested exemptions to some or all the provisions, while other employers with collective agreements requested that collective agreements take precedence over the provisions or unionized employees be exempt from the provisions.
Employee representatives stated that exemptions should not be given, as they would frustrate the legislative intent to ensure equal treatment for equal work. They also noted that workers who have temporary and/or part-time work arrangements are more likely to belong to vulnerable groups and therefore should benefit from the new standard. Most submissions expressed the need for greater clarity concerning certain terms set out in the legislation, such as “merit” and “substantially the same kind of work”. Several stakeholders argued that the term “seniority” should be defined as “date since hire or length of service” and not be based on the numbers of hours worked.
With regard to part (c), the labour program is advancing this regulatory initiative and is building the policy framework for the drafting of regulations. For the Labour Program Forward Regulatory Plan 2023-25, the proposed draft regulations are to be pre-published in Part I of the Canada Gazette later this year, currently planned for fall 2023.
With regard to part (d), a coming into force date has yet to be determined. Any update on the timing of the publication of regulations in Part II of the Canada Gazette will be published in the Labour Program Forward Regulatory Plan.