At the beginning of September, UCTE was invited by the Government of Canada’s Labour Program to participate in its regulatory consultation on “Labour Standards for Interns in Federally Regulated Workplaces under Part III of the Canada Labour Code”.  This process was in response to legislation which extends labour standards protections to interns.  When they come into force, new rules will limit unpaid internships only to those that are part of a formal education program.

We took this as an opportunity to share some of the concerns that our members have raised about the employer’s use of students and interns in their workplaces.  Some of the highlights from our submission include:

• UCTE believes that all workers, regardless if they are students, should be paid a fair wage.
• Allowing lower safety standards for students or interns is unfair and puts them at risk.
• Education institutions should be required to provide a rationale for why an internship should be unpaid.

Attached you will find our submission as well as the consultation paper that contains the proposed regulations.