Labour & Employment
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February 13, 2025
CBA urges new funding as Federal Court’s massive budget shortfall threatens drastic service cuts
The Liberal government’s underfunding of the Federal Court could “drastically” reduce service to litigants, its chief justice warns, spurring the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) to call for urgent “off-cycle” federal funding to address the national trial court’s chronic multi-million-dollar budgetary shortfalls.
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February 13, 2025
CFIB says small businesses facing cancelled, delayed orders amid Canada-U.S. tariff threat
According to new data from the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB), almost one in five small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are facing delayed or cancelled orders caused by ongoing uncertainty over a potential Canada-U.S. trade war.
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February 13, 2025
Europe’s revenge: They may hit back harder | Hodine Williams
The imposition of tariffs by the United States on European Union goods has long been a crossroads in transatlantic trade relations. Historically, the U.S. has used tariffs to protect domestic industries, often citing national security or unfair trade practices as justification — yawn. The most notable recent example was the Trump administration’s 2018, decision to impose a 25 per cent tariff on steel and a 10 per cent tariff on aluminium imports from the EU under s. 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows tariffs for national security reasons. The EU responded swiftly with retaliatory tariffs on iconic American products like alcohol, motorcycles and jeans. But as tensions grow, the question remains: how will the EU respond to U.S. tariffs, and what tools does it have at its disposal?
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February 13, 2025
Reflections on a setback | David Peters
Some soul searching was in order. I was clearly not excelling in my career, but I didn’t know why. I had the education and background to succeed, but things weren’t clicking. I knew the reason may be linked to viewing my job only as a means to an end — saving enough to retire — instead of as a vocation, an end in itself, as a meaningful part of life to be enjoyed not hurried through. In short, something to be passionate about. As I reflected upon the role I played in my dilemma, I knew I must change. I like to read and learn, so I sought answers in books. Maybe, after all, I would find something useful. I did.
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February 13, 2025
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING - Certification - Appropriate bargaining unit - Management
Appeal by Association of Allied Health Professionals (AAHP) of a judicial review of a Labour Relations Board (Board) decision about whether Disability Care Managers (DCMs) at Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority (ERIHA) were “employees” for the purpose of Public Service Collective Bargaining Act (Act). ERIHA restructured and created a new position, DCM, which was classified as a non-bargaining unit position.
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February 12, 2025
Workforce reductions, layoffs already underway in response to tariff threat, says lawyer
The impending threat of hefty U.S. tariffs is already prompting some worried employers to illegally lay off employees or reduce their hours, says a veteran Toronto employment and labour lawyer.
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February 12, 2025
Decision in Freedom Convoy case ‘seemingly has legs’ to go to Appeal Court, SCC: legal scholar
An Ontario judge has dismissed an application by a police officer who said his rights had been violated when he was disciplined for donating money to the Freedom Convoy protests, but a legal expert is saying the issues raised may lead to further review by the courts.
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February 12, 2025
What you should know about severance package anti-rehire agreements
Employees faced with signing an anti-rehire agreement in a severance package should first understand all their legal options.
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February 12, 2025
The history of U.S.-Canada trade: A tangled tale | Hodine Williams
Let’s make something clear. From my last article you will by now appreciate that tariffs placed on Canadian goods doesn’t affect the cost of producing Canadian goods or local prices. Canada doesn’t pay the tariffs. Instead, it is paid by persons importing the goods and generally the end users in the United States. The effect is that it makes Canadian good more expensive to Americans and in theory should lower the demand for Canadian goods.
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February 11, 2025
Report: Missing non-permanent residents in labour force survey distorting economic indicators
The underrepresentation of non-permanent residents (NPRs) in Canada’s Labour Force Survey (LFS) is distorting critical economic indicators such as unemployment rates and nominal wage growth, according to a report by the C.D. Howe Institute.