Liberals eye ‘right to disconnect’ labour rule

Canada may follow France by allowing employees to unplug

OTTAWA — The federal Liberals are considering whether a reshaping of federal labour standards should include giving workers the right to ignore their job-related emails at home.

The idea of putting into law a “right to disconnect” is one of several policy areas the Liberals identify as meriting further study in a report being made public ahead of Labour Day.

Governments in Canada and overseas have taken a closer look at the right-to-disconnect concept after France adopted a law in 2016 giving workers the right to turn off their electronic work devices outside of business hours over worries that employees were doing unpaid overtime, or being driven to burnout.

The results of a year-long consultation on changes to the federal labour code showed a split between employer and labour groups over whether the Liberals should follow suit and set rules for workers in federally-regulated industries. That includes employees in transport, banking and telecommunications.

“While many concerns were raised during our consultations, one message was clear: Canadians want more work-life balance,” Labour Minister Patty Hajdu said in a statement.