Amendments to the Canada Labour Code under Bill C-65 came into effect January 1, 2021 in a continued effort to build healthy and safe working environments where all employees are treated with respect, dignity and fairness with no tolerance for harassment and violence of any form in the workplace.

The definition of harassment and violence under Bill C-65 reads:

“any action, conduct or comment, including of a sexual nature, that can reasonably be expected to cause offence, humiliation or other physical or psychological injury or illness to an employee, including any prescribed action, conduct or comment.”

Bill C-65 amendments strengthen and expand the current workplace harassment and violence prevention regulations with additional measures to help support Federal Public Service Departments in their efforts to deal with and respond to incidents of harassment and violence while continuing to protect employees and keep them safe.

In summary, new legislation under Bill C-65 requires employers to:

• Identify risk factors that contribute to harassment and violence in the workplace;
• Develop and implement prevention and protection measures including a Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Policy;
• Ensure a process is in place to respond to and resolve occurrences of harassment and/or violence in a timely and transparent manner;
• Develop harassment and violence training for all employees including their rights and responsibilities to prevent unlawful conduct in the workplace.

If you are looking for an engaging Prevent Harassment, Bullying, & Violence compliance training program for employees, HR Proactive Inc.’s 15-minute comprehensive video covers the various forms of harassment, including social media harassment, violent behaviours, and discrimination. To further empower employees, we include an introduction to bystander intervention which is proven to be effective in harassment prevention in the workplace. Consider this training as an interactive instructor-led virtual workshop for groups or sensitivity training for individuals.

Learn more about training requirements under Bill C-65