Occupational Safety and Health and Canada’s Mobile Labour Force Obstacles to Regulatory Effectiveness

Canada’s mobile workforce keeps the economy moving—but at what cost to safety and health? This timely and revealing book investigates the often-overlooked risks faced by workers who engage in extended geographical mobility related to their work including extended daily commuting, intra- and inter-provincial rotational work, international labour migration into Canada and mobility as or within work such as within transportation and homecare work. It uncovers the unique hazards tied to employment-related mobility and documents the regulatory gaps, inconsistencies and other determinants that leave these workers vulnerable to injury and that can constrain their access to workers’ compensation. With particular attention to temporary foreign workers and the systemic failings highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the book paints a compelling picture of injustice hidden in plain sight. Blending rigorous legal analysis with a wide-ranging review of international and Canadian research, it makes a powerful case for stronger protections and equitable access to compensation. Essential reading for policymakers, legal and other scholars, and advocates alike, this is a bold call to rethink both how work-related mobility puts workers at risk and how we could better protect workers on the move.

About the Authors

The late Katherine Lippel, LLL, LLM, FRSC, was a full professor of law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa and Distinguished Research Chair in Occupational Health and Safety Law. Barbara Neis, Ph.D., FRSC, C.M., is Professor Emerita and John Lewis Paton Distinguished Professor in the Department of Sociology at Memorial University. Maxine Visotzky-Charlebois is a lawyer and professor of labour law at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Dalia Gesualdi-Fecteau is a full professor at the School of Industrial Relations at the Université de Montréal (Canada) and director of the Interuniversity Research Centre on Globalization and Work (CRIMT).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). It may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided that the original author is credited.