Guarantee three remote workdays
Petitioners ask the Canada Labour Code be amended to guarantee federally regulated computer-based employees the right to remote work at least three days per week except where physical presence is essential; require written evidence-based justification for more than two in-office days; prohibit adverse action for exercising this right; and mandate enforceable compliance and penalties.
Why we would sign this petition
- Creates a legal right to predictable remote work for eligible federally regulated employees, increasing flexibility and supporting work–life balance, caregivers, people with disabilities and rural workers.
- May lower greenhouse gas emissions when telework is feasible, which petitioners argue would support Canada’s climate targets.
- Requires enforcement measures and bans reprisals, making the right meaningful and giving employees a route to challenge arbitrary return-to-office mandates.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Some roles legitimately require in-person work; a statutory three-day rule could disrupt operations in jobs where presence is essential despite exceptions.
- Determining who is “primarily computer-based” and when presence is “demonstrably essential” could be legally complex and generate disputes or litigation.
- Mandatory justification, compliance regimes and penalties may impose administrative burdens and costs on employers and could conflict with collective bargaining or sector-specific practices.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled The Canada Labour Code sets minimum labour standards for federally regulated employees, including banking, telecommunications, transportation, postal services, pipelines, and Crown corporations; About 900,000 Canadians are employed in these sectors, giving the federal government responsibility to ensure modern workplace standards; Remote and hybrid work improves productivity, lowers absenteeism and turnover, and supports caregivers, people with disabilities, and rural workers; Statistics Canada estimates that feasible telework could cut 9.5 megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, helping meet Canada’s climate goals; and Without clear legal protections, employees remain vulnerable to arbitrary return-to-office mandates that undermine work–life balance, inclusion, and competitiveness. We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to 1. Amend Part III of the Canada Labour Code to guarantee that federally regulated employees whose job functions are primarily computer-based shall have the right to perform their work remotely for a minimum of three (3) days per week, unless their role is in emergency, medical, caregiving, or other functions where physical presence is demonstrably essential; 2. Require federally regulated employers to provide written, evidence-based justification if they require more than two (2) in-office days per week for such employees; 3. Prohibit any adverse employment action (including dismissal, demotion, or negative performance evaluation) solely on the basis of exercising this right; 4. Ensure the Minister of Labour develops compliance and enforcement measures—including penalties for non-compliance and clear channels for employee complaints—so that this right is meaningful and enforceable; 5. Position Canada as a global leader in modern, sustainable, inclusive work practices by embedding hybrid work as a statutory labour standard under federal law.
Government response
No government response is available yet.