On International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Minister of Labour visits Trucking HR Canada for an update on their Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund project

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - All Canadians deserve to be treated fairly and protected from harm in the workplace.

Today, on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Minister of Labour, Seamus O'Regan Jr., visited Trucking HR Canada to learn more about how the organization is ensuring the trucking industry is a safe, welcoming and inclusive work environment for all employees. He met with Chief Executive Officer of Trucking HR Canada, Angela Splinter, to discuss the organization's suite of employer-focused anti-harassment resources, including an online training platform. These resources were developed as part of a Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund project, which received close to $2.7 million in funding.

The funding has allowed the organization to develop and identify ways to deliver industry-specific training to all workers in the Canadian trucking sector. The overall goal of the Anti-Harassment Training for the Trucking Sector project, delivered in partnership with various industry associations, including the Canadian Trucking Alliance, Unifor, and provincial trucking associations, is to reduce incidents of harassment and violence in the sector. To date, close to 7,000 registered users have signed up for the training modules, representing 80 employers across Canada.

Minister O'Regan and Ms. Splinter agreed that projects promoting safe and inclusive workplaces will help attract more women to industries experiencing labour shortages, such as the trucking sector, which can provide rewarding careers. They also spoke about a number of other projects, including two funded through the Workplace Opportunities: Removing Barriers to Equity program that have helped break down barriers to employment faced by Indigenous people, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities. In addition, they spoke about Trucking HR Canada's work with Women and Gender Equality Canada on the Women with Drive initiative, which aims to address industry-specific attraction, recruitment, and retention challenges.

The Government of Canada has taken a number of steps to better protect women and other marginalized groups from harm in the workplace or wherever it occurs. For example, through federal anti-harassment and violence legislation, the Government is helping to ensure workers, including the most vulnerable, are safe in federally regulated workplaces. The Government has also endorsed the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence to provide a framework to address the root causes of gender-based violence and bring us closer to building a safer and more equitable Canada for everyone.

Quotes

"The best workplaces attract the best workers. Smart employers know that a safe and positive environment is more than moral responsibility, it's good for business, too."
– Minister of Labour, Seamus O'Regan Jr.

"Everyone has the right to live free from violence, yet many Canadians continue to face violence every day because of their gender, gender expression, gender identity, or perceived gender. Through the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, we invite Canadians and people worldwide to take action to prevent and eliminate all types of GBV. I want to thank Trucking HR Canada for taking concrete steps to end harassment and gender-based violence within the industry. Through these actions, Canadians are doing the important work to end gender-based violence in all its forms."
– Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Canada, Marci Ien

"The various sectors of the trucking industry are one of the most significant enablers of economic recovery in Canada. Addressing severe labour shortages is an immediate need that requires a broad range of approaches, such as increasing the representation and participation of women through our workplace harassment and violence prevention work. Employers promoting their safe and inclusive workplaces reach a larger candidate pool, and report higher retention rates as a result."
– Chief Executive Officer, Trucking HR Canada, Angela Splinter

Quick Facts

• The Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund aims to guide culture change around harassment and violence in federally regulated workplaces. It provides $3.5 million annually to projects aimed at creating safer workplaces for employees and helping workplaces comply with federal harassment and violence prevention legislation and regulations.
• Trucking HR Canada is a national, non-profit organization, advancing modern HR solutions for the trucking and logistics workforce. They collaborate, partner, and work with a dynamic network including industry associations, government departments and industry professionals to ensure Canada's freight transportation network has the skilled workforce needed for today and into the future.
• Anti-Harassment Training for the Trucking Sector project is delivered in partnership with the Canadian Trucking Alliance, Unifor, the British Columbia Trucking Association, Alberta Motor Transport Association, Saskatchewan Trucking Association, Manitoba Trucking Association, Ontario Trucking Association, Association du camionnage du Quebec, and the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association.
• Through the Workplace Opportunities: Removing Barriers to Equity program, Trucking HR Canada received funding to launch two projects, both entitled Trucking Workplace Opportunities. For more information, consult the organization's various resources, including the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: A Guide for Change.

Associated Links

Backgrounder - Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund 
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence 2022 – Women and Gender Equality Canada 
Government of Canada launches call for concepts to help guide culture change around harassment and violence in the workplace 
On International Women's Day, Government of Canada announces program to provide $3.5 million in annual funding to prevent workplace harassment and violence 
Anti-Harassment & Violence – Trucking HR Canada

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For media enquiries, please contact: Jane Deeks, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Labour, Seamus O'Regan Jr., 343-550-9594, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-559, [email protected]