Welcome to Canada!
In Canada, the rights of all workers are protected by law. It is important that you understand your rights while you are in Canada as a temporary foreign worker.
Here are a few things you need to know:
- Your employer must:
- pay you for your work;
- ensure that your workplace is safe;
- give you break time and days off;
- respect the terms of your written contract.
- Inform the CNESST* of the date of your arrival, the duration of your contract
and, if your departure date does not coincide with the end date of your contract
of the date and reasons for your departure. He/she must record this information in the registration system or register that it maintains in accordance with the regulation made under section 29 of the Act respecting labour standards.
- Your employer cannot:
- force you to perform duties that you were not hired or trained to do;
- force you to work if you are sick or injured;
- take your passport or work permit away from you;
- have you deported from Canada or change your immigration status;
- make you pay them back for fees they paid to hire you.
* The CNESST is the organization to which the Quebec government has entrusted the promotion of rights and obligations in the workplace. It ensures that these rights and obligations are respected by workers and employers in Quebec. For more information, visit cnesst.gouv.qc.ca.
Other laws that protect workers can be different depending on where you work in Canada. If you have questions about the laws that apply to you, please contact the employment standards office in the province or territory where you are working.
It is your right to contact these offices and visit these websites.You do not need anyone’s permission and an employer cannot penalize you or have you deported for contacting them.
