OTTAWA—Parliament has opened debate on an NDP private member’s bill that would give unpaid interns workplace standards and safety protections under the Canada Labour Code.
The bill, introduced last spring by Quebec MP Lauren Liu, would ensure that all internships are linked to educational programs and are primarily of benefit to the intern, not the employer.
The proposed legislation would also limit the number of hours of work for unpaid interns, and provide them the right to refuse dangerous work. As well, it would prohibit companies from replacing paid work with internships.
Some “very profitable and powerful Canadian companies” are still abusing internships despite a growing public outcry, New Democrat MP Andrew Cash told a news conference Tuesday, Feb. 17, on Parliament Hill.
“We continue to hear very troubling stories from those who have done internships in large, very profitable corporations who were taken advantage of, forced to do work that was of little benefit to them or brought on simply as a replacement for paid workers.”
