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Labour Minister Murray Coell released the following statement  in recognition of Labour Day: 

Labour Day is a time to reflect on some of the challenges workers have faced in over one and a half centuries of labour in our province, and how labour laws have evolved and must continue to evolve to keep pace with B.C’s modern workplace. 

Government, employers and employees, unions and workers, have made great strides in ensuring our workplaces are safe, and that 1,800,000 British Columbians in the province’s workplaces are treated in a fair and equitable way.

Since 1858, when the bulk of workers entered B.C. during the Gold Rush era, through to present day, the workplace has changed. Looking forward, we will face new challenges. For example, the baby boom generation – comprising approximately one-third of B.C.’s population – has begun to retire from the workforce, or move from full-time to part-time work, and will continue to do so over the next two decades. This will bring a new set of challenges when recruiting and retaining the next generation of workers. 

Miniaturized communication devices bring huge convenience to our lives, but these technologies pose questions our predecessors never had to consider. How do we create a work environment flexible enough to accommodate the needs of the changing workplace and desire of those within it to balance the demands of work and family life? How can we best resolve disputes in an ever changing workplace? How do these changes affect today’s labour laws? 

The objective of government is to remain responsive to workplace needs. Clearly, the workplaces of the future will be different than those of today. To that end, my ministry will continue to monitor the workplace and examine ways that best ensure our laws remain relevant to this changing environment.   

This Labour Day, I invite you to reflect on the sacrifices of B.C.’s early workers, and the benefits and protections often taken for granted today that were built on the shoulders of these men and women. Looking ahead, government will seek ways to improve upon the current framework within which mutually beneficial, healthy labour and employment relationships can continue to flourish.

Murray Coell
Labour Minister

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