Liberals seek to tighten workplace harassment rules for businesses, Parliament
OTTAWA — The federal government is embarking on a regulatory overhaul to crack down on harassment in federal workplaces, from Parliament Hill to local bank branches.
New legislation unveiled Tuesday is aimed at giving workers and their employers a clear course of action to better deal with allegations of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment, exerting more pressure on companies to combat unacceptable behaviour and punish those who don’t take it seriously.
The changes will merge separate labour standards for sexual harassment and violence and subject them to the same scrutiny and dispute resolution process, which could include having an outside investigator brought in to review allegations.
The proposed rules would also enforce strict privacy rules to protect the victims of harassment or violence.