The federal government tabled Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act (Bill C-63) on February 26, 2024. Bill C-63 aims to curb online harms, especially to children, by targeting the spread of harmful content on social media. If passed, key features would include the establishment of the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, the introduction of an…
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Supreme Court of Canada Finds Individuals Have a Privacy Interest in Their IP Addresses
In R. v. Bykovets, released on March 1, 2024, the majority of the Supreme Court of Canada (Court) found that individuals have a privacy interest in their internet protocol (IP) addresses. The issue arose in the context of the Court’s consideration as to whether police had breached section 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights…
Federal Government Issues Guidelines on Monetary Penalties Under the Employment Equity Act
On February 13, 2024, Employment and Social Development Canada issued updated guidelines on the Employment Equity Act – Monetary Penalties – IPG-121 (Guidelines). The Guidelines apply to employers subject to the Legislated Employment Equity Program (LEEP) under the Employment Equity Act (Act). The LEEP applies to: The LEEP employers have reporting obligations under the Act….
Federal Government Launches Employment Equity Tool on Workforce Data
On February 2, 2024, the federal government launched a new website, Equi’Vision. It is an employment equity tool which the government states provides “user-friendly, easily comparable data on workforce representation rates and the pay gaps” experienced by women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities. These groups are the designated groups under…
New Transparency Requirements for Corporations Subject to the Canada Business Corporations Act Come Into Force on January 22, 2024
The federal government has proclaimed January 22, 2024 as the coming into force date for certain provisions of the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) that were enacted by the Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1. Corporations which are subject to the CBCA (Corporations) will now have additional reporting obligations regarding their registry of individuals with significant…
Federal Government Consultation on Draft Accessibility Standards
Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) has published a draft Accessibility Standard on Emergency Measures (Draft Standard) as part of its mandate under the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). Background The ACA came into force on July 11, 2019, and the Accessible Canada Regulations (Regulations) made under the ACA came into force on December 13, 2021. The ACA…
Federal Government Publishes Draft Amendments to Pay Equity Regulations
The federal government recently published proposed regulations which would amend the Pay Equity Regulations (Regulations) made under the federal Pay Equity Act (Act). The Act addresses systemic gender discrimination in compensation practices and pay systems as well as the portion of the wage gap attributable to the undervaluation of work traditionally done by women. The…
Federal Government to Extend Temporary Measures under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
On March 27, 2023, the federal government announced the extension of temporary measures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic under the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program. As stated in the announcement, the extended measures include: The government also announced that the TFW Program will begin transitioning to the LMIA Online Portal as the primary method to…
Update on Medical and Personal Leaves under the Canada Labour Code, Upcoming Deadlines under the Accessible Canada Act, and More
In this Federal Post, we discuss the practical challenges confronting federal employers when implementing the new medical and personal leaves under the Canada Labour Code. We also look at upcoming compliance deadlines under the Accessible Canada Act regulations and the federal Pay Equity Act.
Federal Court: No Entitlement to EI Benefits Where Employee Fails to Comply With Employer’s Vaccination Policy
In Cecchetto v. Canada (Attorney General), the Federal Court recently considered a decision of the Appeal Decision of the Social Security Tribunal (SST) which denied leave to appeal a finding of the General Division of the SST that the applicant was not entitled to employment insurance (EI) benefits when his employment was terminated for failure…