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This guide provides information sources on Canadian labour rights, both federal and for British Columbia. For topics such as discrimination, harassment, occupational or mental health, and workers' rights, information can be found in government legislation, legal cases, books, newspaper and journal articles. Access for subscription databases, books and articles is limited to current SFU users.
Some resources for the general public aimed at the beginner's level are also included. A good place to start would be the "People's Law School" since they have a number of pertinent "publications about work" in British Columbia.
Labour laws and legislation
Government websites
Canadian labour statistics
Canadian labour statistics from the federal and the BC government]]
- BC STATS - collects and publishes reports of statistics from Statistics Canada, provincial government ministries and agencies and from administrative files.
- BC's Labour Force Statistics - focus is on BC, taken from Canada Labour Force Statistics
- CANSIM (Canadian Socioeconomic Information Management) - Time series on a wide range of topics. Use this resource to compare time series over several years so you can perform further calculations using a numerical analysis program such as SPSS.
- Statistics Canada - the major statistical gathering agency of the federal government. It publishes the "whole range of statistics on the economic and social activities of the Canadian people". There are daily, weekly, quarterly, annual and irregular publications. They also publish the Census of Canada at five-year intervals.
- Labour
- how many people are employed or unemployed; the unemployment rate; which industries or occupations people work in; the hours they work; commuting patterns; wage and non-wage benefits; job training; labour mobility;
- work absences; unionization; unpaid work; and other topics. Also includes geographic and demographic characteristics.
- Labour Force Survey - a monthly survey which measures the current state of the Canadian labour market and is used, among other things, to calculate the national, provincial, territorial and regional employment.
- Labour Market Overview
- Labour
For more, please consult the SFU Library guide: Labour Statistics
Academic books and journal articles
This section provides guidance on finding books, journal articles, news stories, and reports on labour issues
Find books
The Library Catalogue provides access to books, journal articles, videos, government documents and much more.
[[collapse start "Find books
Article databases
Find articles in scholarly journals and newspapers
Legal databases
Use databases for legal information such as legislation, cases, legal commentaries and reports.
CanLii
CanLII database access to legislation, cases, commentaries & reports
Westlaw Next Canada
Westlaw Next Canada for legislation, cases, legal articles and reports
Labour organizations
Links to labour organizations and labour news
Collective agreements & settlements
Collective agreements & settlements databases
Sources for the general public
People's Law School
People's Law School
AMMSA
Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of British Columbia (AMMSA)
Canada. Employment and Social Development
Government of Canada. Employment and Social Development
British Columbia Law Institute (BCLI)
"BCLI carried out the Employment Standards Reform Project with the aid of an expert volunteer committee, carefully selected to balance employer and employee viewpoints. Its members had great depth of knowledge and experience in relation to the Employment Standards Act." [from the website]
Report on the Employment Standards Act [2018]
WorkBC
WorkBC is the provincial government's access point to the world of work in British Columbia...helps people find jobs, explore career options and improve their skills.