Looking Forward to 2020

In our year-end Federal Post, we review changes to federal labour and employment laws which are anticipated to come into force in 2020. We also provide a quick update on some unjust dismissal cases of note. As always, our best wishes for a happy holiday season. Incoming Legislative Changes in 2020 The past few years…

Further Amendments to the Canada Labour Code Now In Force

On July 29, 2019, a number of amendments to the Canada Labour Code enacted by Bill C-44, the Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1, came into force. The amendments relate to changes to the powers of the Canada Industrial Relations Board, complaints relating to reprisals and the elimination of the role of appeals officers. Learn more in this Federal Post.

Federal Court Finds Release Signed upon Termination Not a Bar to Unjust Dismissal Complaint

The Federal Court recently upheld a decision of an adjudicator made under the Canada Labour Code (Code) that an agreement and release signed by an employee whose employment with a bank was terminated did not act as a bar to her unjust dismissal application. The employee had received a lump sum payment and had released…

Federal Post – Second Edition

Dear Friends, We are delighted to bring you this year-end edition of the Federal Post, our newsletter designed exclusively for federally regulated employers. In this issue, we cover a range of interesting developments in the areas of federal labour, employment standards, unjust dismissal law and health and safety. Ian Campbell, a lawyer in our Waterloo…

Federal Court: Unjust Dismissal Complaint for Without Cause Termination Requires Evidentiary Hearing

In a recent decision, Sigloy v. DHL Express (Canada) Ltd., the Federal Court overturned the decision of an adjudicator which had granted an employer’s preliminary objection and dismissed a complaint of unjust dismissal for lack of jurisdiction because the complainant had been dismissed without cause. At the adjudication, the employer objected to the unjust dismissal…

Federal Court of Appeal Breaks the Tie: Without Cause Dismissals Permitted Under Canada Labour Code

The Federal Court of Appeal has acted as a “tie-breaker” on a “nagging legal point” as to whether Part III of the Canada Labour Code (“Code”) permits dismissals on a without cause basis. In Wilson v. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, the Court unanimously held that it does, bringing welcome clarity to an area of…

No Jurisdiction to Determine Unjust Dismissal Complaint Where Employee Terminated Without Cause Pursuant to Employment Contract

In a recent adjudication under the Canada Labour Code (the “Code”), Adjudicator Rose relied on the Federal Court decision in Atomic Energy of Canada v. Wilson to grant an employer’s preliminary objection and dismiss an unjust dismissal complaint. In doing so, he found that in the case of without cause terminations an adjudicator lacks jurisdiction under the…

Dismissals Under the Canada Labour Code

In a recent decision, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited v. Wilson, the Federal Court considered the unjust dismissal provision of the Canada Labour Code (“Code”) and concluded that it does not prohibit federally regulated employers from conducting without cause dismissals. This decision arose out of an unjust dismissal complaint under section 240 of the Code….

Unjust Dismissal Complaints: Being Prepared from Start to Finish (Accredited)

Unjust dismissal complaints under the Canada Labour Code are unique. Although they involve some of the familiar trappings of labour arbitrations and court cases, the preliminary issues involved, process followed, and potential outcomes are different. It is crucial for in-house counsel to know how unjust dismissal complaints work in practice in order to develop the…