Parliamentary petition calls for federally regulated employees to work remotely 3 days a week

As of Monday, public service executives are required to be in the office five days a week, but there are questions as to whether there is enough office space.

Thousands of people have signed a parliamentary petition calling for federally regulated employees to be allowed to work remotely three days a week.

The petition, sponsored by Liberal MP James Maloney and initiated by Tania Pereira, calls on the federal government to amend part III the Canada Labour Code to “guarantee that federally regulated employees whose job functions are primarily computer-based” have the right to work from home a minimum of three days a week.

The petition, filed on March 17, had 19,336 signatures on Monday afternoon. As of Tuesday morning, 25,992 people had signed the petition.

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It also calls on the government to require federally regulated employers to provide “written, evidence-based justification if they require more than two in-office days per week,” and “position Canada as a global leader in modern, sustainable, inclusive work practices by embedding hybrid work as a statutory labour standard under federal law.”

The Canada Labour Code applies to employees and employers in federally regulated sectors, including Crown corporations, airlines, airports, banks, and radio and television broadcasting.

The petition would not cover federal public services, as only Parts II and IV of the Canada Labour Code apply to the federal government employees.

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The petition notes approximately 900,000 Canadians are employed in federally regulated sectors.

“Remote and hybrid work improves productivity, lowers absenteeism and turnover, and supports caregivers, people with disabilities, and rural workers,” the petition said.

“Statistics Canada estimates that feasible telework could cut 9.5 megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, helping meet Canada’s climate goal.”

Of the 19,336 signatures on the petition, 8,613 are from Ontario and 5,100 signatures are from Quebec.

The petition was launched weeks after the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat announced new return-to-office mandates for federal public servants.

All executives in the core public service are now required to work on-site five days per week. As of July 6, all other federal employees will need to be in the office for a minimum of four days a week, unless told by departments.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is asking its members to sign the parliamentary petition to guarantee federally regulated employees with computer-based positions can work remotely at least three days a week.

“This petition reflects what PSAC members have been saying for years: flexibility matters, and workers should have a real say in how their work is organized,” PSAC said in a statement on its website.

“Whether you work in the federal public service, a federally regulated workplace, or the private sector, we know that remote work increases productivity, lowers operating costs, decreases traffic, and improves quality of life. Workers deserve the right to negotiate work arrangements that balance flexibility with operational needs, not have them imposed without consultation.”

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