Labour in Canada is regulated by federal or provincial legislation. The jurisdiction depends on the specific business or industry.

Federally regulated businesses and industries include banks, marine shipping, air transportation, railway and road transportation, telephone, telegraph and cable systems, radio and television broadcasting, businesses dealing with many First Nation activities, private businesses necessary to the operation of a federal act, and most federal Crown corporations. For a full list, click here.

Provincial law sets out the minimum standards that apply to most workplaces in each province. For British Columbia, click here for guidelines to evaluate whether the business or industry that you are examining is covered by provincial jurisdiction.

Note: Certain professions and occupations are not covered by these acts. In British Columbia, chartered accountants, foresters, health professionals, legal professionals, licensed real estate workers, registered security workers, and veterinarians are regulated through separate provincial laws. See the regulations for specific industries in British Columbia.

Labour laws -- Canadian & British Columbia government

British Columbia Government. Employment Standards (getting hired/fired, hours of work, pay for work, etc.)

Guide to the Employment Standards Act & Regulation.  Get a section-by-section explanation of the Employment Standards Act and Regulation.

British Columbia Employment Standards Act
The provincial legislation that ensures that employees in British Columbia receive at least basic standards of compensation and conditions of employment. The British Columbia Employment Standards Act and Regulation sets out minimum working conditions for all employees covered under provincial labour laws. A number of sectors or industries in British Columbia are subject to specific regulations that only apply to them. Click here to see the regulations for specific industries.

British Columbia Labour Relations Code
The provincial legislation that protects the right of employees in British Columbia to be a member of a trade union and to participate in its lawful activities. The Code further delineates the rights of employees and employers.

Canada Labour Code
Consolidates federal statues that relate to labour, facilitating production by controlling strikes & lockouts, occupational safety and health, and some employment standards. The Code only applies to the industries which are under federal legislation.

Canada Labour Standards Regulation
Federally consolidated regulations related to respecting hours of work, wages, annual vacations, general holidays, reassignment, maternity leave and parental leave, bereavement leave, group and individual termination of employment and severance pay, work-related illness and injury in federal works, undertakings and businesses.

Human Rights Law in Canada
Website explains how workers' rights are protected by the Canadian Human Rights Act and other legislation.  It includes information on Employer obligations, Employment Equity Act, Employment equity in federally regulated workplaces, pay equity,  

Canada. Employment and Social Development

Federal Labour Standards

"While these publications provide basic information, they are not intended to replace the actual text of Part III of the Canada Labour Code, the Canada Labour Standards Regulations and other related regulations." [from the website]

E.g. Harassment and sexual violence in the workplace, Minimum wages, Sexual harassment,  

Work Safe BC for occupational health and safety

"Our organization was established by provincial legislation as an agency with the mandate to oversee a no-fault insurance system for the workplace."

"Since 1917, WorkSafeBC has helped to improve the health and safety of British Columbians in the workplace by building a sustainable no-fault insurance system that supports both workers and employers now and for generations to come.

Working closely with our employer and industry partners, we promote a workplace culture of health and safety. We provide support for injured workers that facilitates their recovery and safe return to work. We continue to work toward our vision of a province free from workplace injury, disease, and death." [copied from their website]

WorkSafe BC

• Occupational Health and Safety Regulation

Use these indexes/databases to locate journal articles on your topic.  Use the "Get@SFU" icon to find a copy of the article.  Limit search results to "academic / scholarly" articles.
How to find journal articles

• Sociological Abstracts - for articles related labor and employment issues
• Business Source Complete - indexes business journals and provides a "business management" perspective on labour topics. A good place to start your search for academic or practitioner articles on labor and employment issues.
• Political Science Complete - It has a worldwide focus and indexes journal articles on labour studies.
• EconLit - indexes economics journals
• CBCA Complete - indexes Canadian journals.
• Canadian Newsstream  This database offers access to the full text of over 350 Canadian newspapers from Canada's leading publishers.

Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) database provides access to legal documents, such as legislation, cases, and commentaries, from federal, provincial and territorial governments.

• How to use CanLii
• The CANLII Primer - handbook on the Canadian legal systems and using CANLII for research
• Finding BC Provincial Cases on CANLII

Canadian legislation

Canada Labour Code

For BC legislation, under "Primary Law", click on "British Columbia" for legislation (statutes, regulations), and links to courts and boards & tribunals. 

Under "legislation", search for "employ*" 

Canadian boards and tribunals

For example:

Canada Industrial Relations Board 
Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board
Labour Arbitration Awards 
Occupational Health and Safety Tribunal Canada
Public Service Labour Relations Board

British Columbia boards and tribunals

For example:

British Columbia Employment Standards Tribunal
Labour Arbitration Awards
Labour Relations Board

Search for reports: employ*

For example:

2020 CanLIIDocs 482 - David Fraser, Michael Murphy, Coping with COVID-19: Employer FAQs – CanLII Authors Program
2020 (updated)  eText on Wrongful Dismissal and Employment Law, 2012 CanLIIDocs 1 (updated in 2020)
2018  Report on the Employment Standards Act, CanLIIDocs 10529 
Employment Standards Regulation, BC Reg 396/95, (Employment Standards Act)
2018 Employer Health Tax Act, SBC 2018, c 42
2018 CanLIIDocs 10545 -  Report: Roadblocks on the Career Path: Challenges Faced by Persons with Disabilities in Employment – Canadian Human Rights
         Commission Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulation, BC Reg 265/2002, (Employment and Assistance for Persons with
         Disabilities Act)
2005 (updated 2014) CanLIIDocs 295 - David J Doorey, Employer Bullying: Implied Duties of Fair Dealing in Canadian Employment Contracts – CanLII Authors Program

Current Canadian legal information, including cases, legislation, law reports, and journal articles. 

Help guides and tutorials

Included within this platform are: 

Canadian Encyclopedic Digest -  is a legal encyclopedia in which legal topics are summarized. Important cases and/or legislation relating to each topic are included in the extensive footnotes.

Canadian Abridgment Digest (CAD) - summarizes Canadian legal cases into a short paragraph or two, allowing for quick reviews of their relevance.  All abridged cases are organized by a classification system, allowing you to locate similar cases at once.

Selected list of unions in Canada:

• British Columbia Federation of Labour
• BC Labour Heritage Centre Society
• Canadian Association for Work and Labour Studies
  • They publish a journal, Labour = Le Travail   [Open Access]
• Canadian Labour Congress
• Canadian Union of Pubic Employees
• National Union of Public and General Employees

Labour news

• LabourStart - for daily news on Canadian labour issues

• Business Council of British Columbia. BC Bargaining Database 
     Provides information of wage settlements, agreements, strikes & lockouts, etc.
• Negotech [Open Access]
    Database of recent Canadian collective agreements.

"is a non-profit society in British Columbia, dedicated to making the law accessible to everyone. We provide free education and information to help people effectively deal with the legal problems of daily life."  [all annotations in this section are from People's Law School website]

• Learning about the Law  "is a publication that explains how the law affects people in their daily life. It is available in several formats so that it can be used by teachers and instructors in various settings....is aimed at newcomers to Canada but can be used by anyone to learn about legal rights and responsibilities on topics such as families, housing, working, and planning for the future."
  • Part 1: Fundamentals of the Law,
    Part 2: Family Law, Young People & Elder Law, and
    Part 3: Working in BC & Renting a Home.
     
• The Beginner's Guide to Finding Legal Information is a plain language explanation of how to find legal information in British Columbia, including how to find recent cases.

• Publications about work

  • Essentials of Work & the Law  "offers information about your rights and responsibilities as a worker. This publication explains what to expect once you’re hired, and what happens if you’re fired or you leave your job. It also includes guidance on how to deal with a problem at work. The information is current to March 2019."

  • Workplace Bullying and Harassment  "contains information on workplace bullying and harassment. It includes what workers, employers, and supervisors need to know and do, and where you can get help or more information. The information is current to 2014."

  • Your Employment Contract  (Reviewed:  April 2020)

  • Who’s Covered by BC’s Employment Standards Law

  • Your Employer’s Duty to Accommodate

  • If You're Discriminated Against at Work 

  • Webinars (upcoming and recorded)

    • Rights of workers (recorded)

    • Benefits for workers (recorded)

    • Your Rights as a Worker in the Time of Coronavirus (recorded)

    • Returning to Work During the Pandemic (Webinar) (recorded)

"province-wide association that strengthens over 80 member agencies as well as hundreds of community stakeholder agencies who serve immigrants and newcomers, and build culturally inclusive communities, with the knowledge, resources and support they need to fulfill their mandates." [from the website]

Resources 

• Online: Videos
• Short booklets on topics to assist newcomers to settle in Canada, such as:

  • Migrant Worker Edition: Employment Standards for Migrant Workers; Issue 50 (March 26, 2020)

• Migrant Worker Hub (www.migrantworkerhub.ca) to find migrant worker-related resources.

Foreign Worker Rights
Information and resources for foreign workers on rights and protections as workers in Canada.