On April 19, 2024, the Supreme Court rendered Société des casinos du Québec inc. v. Association des cadres de la Société des casinos du Québec in which it concluded that the exclusion of managers from the definition of “employee” in the Québec Labour Code (Code) does not violate the right to freedom of association found…
Business Operation: Québec
Pay Equity Compliance: An Update from the Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada recently rendered two decisions in two separate cases pertaining to Quebec’s Pay Equity Act (Act) that serve as a reminder to all employers of the importance of complying with their governing pay equity legislation. The Act came into force in 1996 to address systemic discrimination against women and to ensure…
Quebec Passes Legislation to Mirror CPP Enhancements and Makes Changes to its Pension Legislation
On February 21, 2018, Bill 149, An Act to enhance the Québec Pension Plan and to amend various retirement-related legislative provisions, was passed by the Quebec legislature. QPP Enhancements As outlined in our previous update, Bill 149 enhances the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), in a manner similar to the forthcoming enhancements to the Canada Pension…
Supreme Court of Canada Affirms Management Rights Must Be Exercised Reasonably and Consistently with the Collective Agreement
It is critical for employers in the unionized context to remember that when creating policies or workplace rules as an exercise of management rights, the rule must constitute a reasonable “balancing of interests” and must be consistent with the collective agreement. In Association of Justice Counsel v. Canada (Attorney General), the Supreme Court of Canada…
Quebec Proposes to Mirror CPP Enhancements
On November 2, 2017, the Quebec government introduced Bill 149, An Act to enhance the Québec Pension Plan and to amend various retirement-related legislative provisions. Among other things, Bill 149 will enhance the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), in a manner similar to the forthcoming enhancements to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) outlined in our FTR…
Appeal Court Affirms Exclusive Jurisdiction Model Applies in CFL Concussion Case
In a case that continues to attract media attention, the British Columbia Court of Appeal (Court) upheld a lower court decision that concluded it was without jurisdiction to hear claims brought against the Canadian Football League (CFL), its teams and various individuals relating to concussions alleged to have occurred to a former professional football player,…
New Multi-Jurisdictional Pension Plan Agreement Now in Effect
Parties involved in the administration of pension plans have been waiting for Canadian pension regulators to agree to a new set of rules applicable to plans with members in more than one province. Recently, the governments of British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan signed a new Agreement Respecting Multi-Jurisdictional Pension Plans, which took effect July 1, 2016 (2016 Agreement)…
CAPSA Consults on Revised Pension Plan Governance Guideline
On March 11, 2016, the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities (CAPSA) released draft revisions to CAPSA Guideline No. 4: Pension Plan Governance and the related Self-Assessment Questionnaire and FAQ Document for consultation.
Qualified Foreign Pension Fund Exemptions for Certain U.S. Investment Offerings
Canadian pension funds are continually seeking investment opportunities abroad with a view to diversifying their portfolio and maximizing risk-adjusted returns. Offerings of investments in U.S. real estate and infrastructure projects will likely increase as a result of recent U.S. legal reforms which aim to attract foreign investment in these areas. Under the U.S. Foreign Investment in Real…
New Proposed Federal Bill to Reverse Canada Labour Code Certification and Decertification Reforms, C-377 Union Disclosure Obligations
Further to its election platform, on January 28, 2016, the federal government introduced Bill C-4, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code, the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act, the Public Service Labour Relations Act and the Income Tax Act. Among other things, this legislation would, if passed, amend the Canada Labour Code (“CLC”) to effectively repeal…