The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is propelling legislation to create a Four-Day Work Week Commission.
Its job will be to research whether or not the province could realistically pursue an abbreviated work schedule. The legislation was introduced in December 2021.
Bill 70, known as “an act respecting a four-day work week pilot,” has yet to schedule its second reading. Afterward, it will have to undergo another reading before royal assent, which is “the approval by the Sovereign of a bill that has passed both houses of Parliament in identical form” and the last step for a bill to become law in Canada.
This commission “will develop recommendations on how to implement a pilot project designed to determine the effectiveness of a four-day work week in Ontario,” according to the bill.
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“No later than one year after receiving the report laying out these recommendations, the Minister of Labour, Training, and Skills Development shall implement the pilot project, which will last one year,” it added.
“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, worker burnout was all too common, leading to poor physical and mental health outcomes for Ontarians and a lack of work-life balance,” Assembly Member Bhutila Karpoche said at its introduction. “Let’s take a look at what a four-day workweek would mean for Ontarians’ health, quality of life, and our economy.”
Karpoche cited benefits such as “better mental health, greater gender equity, more productivity and engagement, a lower carbon footprint, and better work-life balance for working parents.” She is the mother of a young child.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to Karpoche’s office for comment.
