SUBMISSION: Joint Business Community Response to the B.C. Law Institute's Consultation on the Employment Standards Act
The business community, represented by a diverse group of ten employer associations, is pleased to provide this joint response to the BCLI report on updating and reforming the Employment Standards Act¸ published in June of 2018 (the “Consultation Paper”).
The last BC Employment Standards Act (ESA) review was conducted by Professor Mark Thompson, and his report – Rights and Responsibilities in a Changing Workplace: A Review of Employment Standards in British Columbia – was submitted to the provincial government in February 1994. We agree with the widely-held view that the provincial ESA requires some updating and modernizing given the changing nature of the business environment and the workplace and the increasingly diverse workforce.
The Consultation Paper examines the British Columbia business and employment landscape but also considers “contemporaneous initiatives to reform employment legislation in Ontario and Alberta.” We offer our comments as part of the BCLI’s process to obtain feedback before submitting a final report to the Minister of Labour later this year.
The Associations that are signatories to this submission recognize and appreciate the work and extensive thought and research that underpins the Review Project. The Consultation Paper is thorough and detailed, and collectively we wish to offer our thanks and recognition of the comprehensive nature of the report.