Measures announced in last month’s federal budget to protect unpaid interns have turned out to be far less potent than advertised, says the NDP.
Details of the measures were spelled out in an omnibus budget implementation bill tabled last Friday, and NDP MP Andrew Cash says he was disappointed to find the Harper government is doing nothing to protect interns from being forced to work unlimited hours, among other things.
He called the omissions “significant” and “quite frankly, inexplicable.”
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Cash co-sponsored a private member’s bill that would have amended the Canada Labour Code to apply to unpaid interns, giving them the same protections as other workers in federally regulated industries, such as television, telecommunications and financial institutions.
Although it had initially denied the need for extra protection, the federal government announced in the budget that it would indeed amend the code “to ensure that interns under federal jurisdiction, regardless of pay, receive occupational health and safety protections and are subject to basic safety standards, and to clarify the circumstances under which unpaid internships can be offered.”
Cash though the government meant to accept his bill, but it’s since been defeated.
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Now, the government is proposing to amend the labour code to include occupational health and safety protection for unpaid interns, such as the right to refuse to do unsafe work. It also proposes to require employers to keep records of the number of hours worked by interns and to limit full-time internships to four months in duration.
But, says Cash, there’s nothing that prevents those contracts from being renewed.
The proposals are “a step forward,” but Cash adds the government isn’t requiring that educational institutions manage unpaid interns. That’s a measure he had included in his private member’s bill because he finds it would help ensure internships provide practical experience to young people.
In an interview, he added, “The devil’s always in the detail with these things, as we’ve seen in many other instances. They like to do the ribbon cutting [and] they like to do the announcements. [But] as we’ve seen […] their record on following through isn’t great.”
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In response to criticism, Labour Minister Kellie Leitch said in an email statement that Cash’s bill “lacked clarity on several key elements, such as the definition of training.”
She adds the government consulted widely on its proposed amendments to the Canada Labour Code, and says stakeholders such as the Canadian Intern Association have supported the changes.
“Our government is standing up for young workers and introducing protections for unpaid interns. We encourage all parties in the House to support the BIA and to stand up for young workers.”