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441-02544 (Social affairs and equality)
- Keywords
- Federally regulated employers and employees
- Gender identity and gender expression
- Public toilets
- Workplace health and safety
Original language of petition: English
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
- Safe access to washrooms is a basic physical need and necessary for participation in civic life, the workplace, educational settings, and other public spaces;
- Exclusionary washroom policies cause significant barriers for trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people;
- Washrooms are among the public spaces that trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people report avoiding most due to fear of harassment and violence;
- Avoiding washroom use can result in serious health consequences, including urinary tract infections and kidney problems; and
- Gender-inclusive washrooms are an important part of making workplaces safe, accessible, and welcoming for those who do not feel safe or welcome in gender-specific washrooms.
We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to amend the Canada Labour Code to require gender-inclusive washrooms in all federally regulated workplaces.
Response by the Minister of Labour and Seniors
Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Terry Sheehan
Thank you for expressing your concerns regarding gender-inclusive washrooms.
The Labour Program promotes safe, healthy, cooperative, and productive workplaces that benefit all. Canadians are entitled to be treated fairly on the job and, through legislation, programs, and services, we foster good working conditions, constructive labour-management relations and workplaces free from discrimination.
The Sanitation part of the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (the Regulations) has been amended to allow all toilets (including all-gender toilet rooms) to count towards the total count of toilets required by the Regulations. In addition, the Regulations have been amended to remove male pronouns and use gender-neutral language.
These amendment to the Regulations will come into force on December 1, 2024.
Once in force, the Regulations will encourage employers to provide all-gender toilet rooms as they will be counted towards the total number of toilets required in the workplace. More all-gender toilets will benefit some members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community including transgender, non-binary, gender diverse, and intersex individuals who can encounter stigma, harassment, and violence, when they attempt to access sex-specific toilet rooms which can lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Furthermore, revising language in the English version of the Regulations ensures that the diverse workforce in federally regulated workplaces is reflected.
The Labour Program is committed to providing information regarding the updates to the regulations, such as illustrating how an employer can now count toilets in all-gender toilet rooms towards the total count of toilets required.
The following link provides a more fulsome presentation of the issues, consultations and analysis that were completed: Canada Gazette, Part2, Volume 158, Number 13: Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Canada Labour Code (Sanitation).
- Presented to the House of Commons
-
Don Davies
(Vancouver Kingsway)
June 7, 2024 (Petition No. 441-02544) - Government response tabled
- July 17, 2024
Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.