TORONTO, July 5, 2019 /CNW/ - All Canadians deserve a workplace that is free from harassment and violence. That is why the Government of Canada is making significant investments to help protect federally regulated employees from these unacceptable behaviours.
Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced a project receiving funding through Employment and Social Development Canada's Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund. Minister Hajdu made the announcement during a panel discussion in Toronto on harassment and violence with Canadian actor Mia Kirshner, founder of Rosa and co-founder of AfterMeToo, Paulette Senior, President and CEO of the Canadian Women's Foundation and Jean La Rose of Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).
The Canadian Women's Foundation, in collaboration with AfterMeToo and the APTN, received $2,786,696 in funding for their project, Roadmap to Future Workplaces. One of the goals of this project is to create and provide robust, sector-specific education on legal rights and procedures through digital and in-person training for employees. Together with union and corporate leadership, this project will create customized action plans to help companies tackle the policies and cultures that allow workplace sexual harassment.
The goal of this collaboration is to transform workplaces into transparent, accountable and safe environments that are free from harassment and violence.
Roadmap to Future Workplaces will be housed on Rosa, a one-stop online platform that will centralize laws and reporting forms and provide tools and resources for vulnerable workers in federally regulated industries.
This project, along with the five others announced earlier this year, will help workplaces comply with Bill C-65—new legislation to protect employees from harassment and violence in federally regulated workplaces, which will come into force in 2020.
Quotes
"When we introduced Bill C-65, we knew that legislation alone wouldn't fix the pervasiveness of workplace harassment and violence. That's why we're also supporting projects like this that will get us closer to eliminating these behaviours in our workplaces. By making sure that employees and employers have the tools they need in their workplaces, this project will help push forward the much needed culture shift in Canadian workplaces."
– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
"Rosa was created as a response to systems and tools that made it far too challenging to understand laws, reporting systems and how to access justice and report. These systems are scattered across the internet. The goal of Rosa is to make it easier to understand the law and your rights, get help and access supports no matter where in the country you are. This is holistic work and part of that will be working with leadership to identify policies and practices that will lead to elimination of workplace sexual violence."
– Mia Kirshner, founder of Rosa and co-founder of AfterMeToo
"Women face multiple barriers when it comes to reporting sexual harassment: self-blame, embarrassment and the very real possibilities that they won't be believed and that speaking up will jeopardize their livelihoods. This investment will provide critical tools and support for those experiencing sexual harassment, and help shift the burden from women to the workplace. ALL women deserve workplaces free from sexual harassment."
– Paulette Senior, President and CEO, Canadian Women's Foundation
"APTN has strived from its inception to create an environment where racism, harassment, sexism and bullying had no place to exist, much less strive. When we were approached to help develop education and training support for the Rosa project, we agreed wholeheartedly and without hesitation. Over the period of this project, we hope to be able to make a difference in creating safer work environments and assist corporations to adopt enlightened policies and processes to protect their employees from such destructive behaviour"
– Jean La Rose, CEO of Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
Quick Facts
- The Government of Canada took action to address workplace harassment and violence in federally regulated workplaces, including Parliament Hill, by introducing Bill C-65, which received Royal Assent on October 25, 2018. The three main elements of Bill C-65 are the prevention of incidents, a timely and effective response to incidents, and support for affected employees.
- Through Budget 2018, the Government committed $34.9 million over five years, starting in 2018-19, with $7.4 million per year ongoing, to support Bill C-65, of which $3.5 million annually is dedicated to grants and contributions through the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund.
- It is estimated that between 27% and 45% of all Canadian workers do not have what one traditionally thinks of as a stable full-time job. Moreover, a large proportion of these non-standard jobs, as high as 25% of the paid work force, could be considered precarious (i.e. temporary, self-employed or involuntarily part-time).
- Within the Canadian workforce, the population most at risk of experiencing workplace harassment and violence are Indigenous workers. Moreover, a study by the Law Commission of Ontario concluded that Indigenous people were one of the most overrepresented groups among vulnerable workers. Other groups include youth, racialized persons, immigrants, persons with disabilities and older adults.
Associated Links
On International Women's Day, Government of Canada announces program to provide $3.5 million in annual funding to prevent workplace harassment and violence
Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women & Children
Canadian Women's Foundation
We Are Rosa
AfterMeToo
BACKGROUNDER
The Government of Canada is investing $3.5 million annually in projects that will create safer workplaces for federally regulated employees. Through Employment and Social Development Canada's Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund, partner organizations will receive funding to co-develop sector-specific tools and resources that address these workplace issues. Approaches could include behavioural changes, education and guidance, and mandatory training. These projects will help workplaces comply with Bill C-65—new legislation to protect employees from harassment and violence in federally regulated workplaces.
Violence & Harassment Awareness, Management and Training for the BC Waterfront
The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) represents ship owners, agents and terminal operators on Canada's west coast. Their project will support workplace parties to address workplace harassment and violence through the development and delivery of training courses that will equip them to prevent and respond to incidents of harassment and violence. The tools and resources developed to support the training will be available for all 8,700 workers, management and foremen personnel hired directly by the terminals. In addition, the tools and resources will focus on populations most at risk of experiencing workplace harassment and violence within the maritime industry, including LGBTI and Indigenous communities.
Funding of $3,900,200 is being provided to the BCMEA.
G'minoomaadozimin (We Are Living Well) – Our Respectful Community
The Nokiiwin Tribal Council is an organization dedicated to ensuring the growth and prosperity of First Nations communities. The initial phases of its project will focus on providing culturally sensitive tools and resources to all First Nations communities and individuals in Ontario taking steps to comply with Bill C-65—legislation to protect employees from harassment and violence in federally regulated workplaces. Their project then aims to expand support to First Nations communities in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Funding of $2,155,967 is being provided to the Nokiiwin Tribal Council Inc.
Anti-Harassment Training for the Trucking Sector
This project aims to develop and identify appropriate mediums for the delivery of anti-harassment/violence training to all management and staff working in the Canadian trucking sector, with the overall goal of reducing workplace incidents of harassment and violence in these federally regulated workplaces. Activities include train the trainer sessions in each province, along with eight pilot training sessions. Up to 400 employees will undertake sector-specific harassment and violence prevention training.
Funding of $2,245,860 is being provided to Trucking Human Resources (HR) Canada.
Implementation and upgrade of practices related to Bill C-65
Research has shown that occupational training is most effective when scenarios and activities are related to the specific workplace of the participants. That is why the main goal of this project is to develop organization-specific occupational health and safety training, and more specifically, training on harassment and violence prevention. UNI Financial Cooperation will educate its staff, managers and union representative across 15 work locations, establish multiple working committees and develop a platform with technical tools accessible to all staff.
Funding of $182,508 is being provided to UNI Financial Cooperation.
Addressing Domestic Violence in the Workplace through Collaboration
Stigma is the primary reason why employees do not inform their employer of situations of domestic violence that may impact the workplace, even posing a risk to others in some cases. The main goal of this project is to ensure that workers, unions and employers are able to respond effectively to harassment and violence associated with domestic violence that finds its way into the workplace by providing tools to help everyone do what they can to support those who are in these terrible situations. The project will contribute to the physical and psychological health and safety of employees in federally regulated workplaces and beyond.
Funding of $2,088,828 is being provided to the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children at Western University
Roadmap to Future Workplaces
The Canadian Women's Foundation (CWF) is receiving funding for its project, Roadmap to Future Workplaces, to be performed in collaboration with with AfterMeToo and the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).
One of the goals of this project is to create and provide robust, sector specific education on legal rights and procedures through digital and in-person training for employees. Together with union and corporate leadership, this project will create customized action plans to help companies tackle the policies and cultures that allow workplace sexual harassment. The goal of this collaboration is to transform workplaces into transparent, accountable and safe environments that are free from harassment and violence. Roadmap to Future Workplaces will be housed on Rosa, a one-stop online platform that will centralize laws, reporting forms and provide tools and resources for vulnerable workers in federally regulated industries.
Funding of $2,786,696 is being provided to the CWF.
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
For media enquiries, please contact: Véronique Simard, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P., Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, [email protected], 819-654-5611; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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