Federal-Provincial-Territorial Meeting of Ministers responsible for Labour

Saskatoon,  Saskatchewan, September 13, 2013—Today, federal, provincial and territorial ministers  responsible for labour met to discuss key issues affecting workers and  employers. The annual meeting was co-hosted by the Honourable Dr. Kellie  Leitch, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women, and the Honourable  Don Morgan, Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety for Saskatchewan.

“Creating jobs and strengthening the Canadian  economy continue to be at the top of all of our Governments’ agendas. Promoting  safe, healthy and productive workplaces is central to this goal,” said Minister  Leitch. “By working closely together on shared issues, we can ensure that  Canada remains competitive on a domestic and global scale as we address the reality  of the modern workforce.”

“One of our top priorities is to  ensure a better quality of life for Saskatchewan people in our competitive and  growth-oriented labour environment. We want to foster economic growth and meaningful  employment while ensuring a safe work environment,” said Minister Morgan. “These  meetings are a great way to share best practices and also discuss our common challenges.”

The two-day conference focused on exploring the new  realities of the workplace and covered a number of shared labour concerns.  Specific items discussed included labour cooperation agreements, temporary  foreign workers, pension reform and workplace psychological health. The ministers also followed up on several items that  were discussed at last year’s meeting in Toronto, including the extension of  the “It’s Your Job!” contest that challenges youth across  Canada to raise awareness about the importance of workplace safety by creating  and posting videos to YouTube.

The  meeting of ministers responsible for labour provides a forum for discussion of  key public policies and exploration of opportunities for cooperation on joint  projects and labour initiatives. Throughout the year, work continues through  the Canadian Association of Administrators of Labour Legislation (CAALL).  Established in 1938, CAALL is an association of federal, provincial and territorial  departments of labour and heads of occupational health and safety agencies.

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This news release is available in alternative formats on  request.                            

For further  information (media only):

Jan O’Driscoll
Director of Communications
Office of Minister Leitch
819-953-5646

Media  Relations Office
Employment  and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
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Rikki Boté
Executive Director, Communications Branch
Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, Government of Saskatchewan
306-787-4156