Bill 79 explained in plain English
Working for Workers Act, 2023
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill 79 amends seven Ontario statutes to change employment and labour rules, increase penalties for passport and work permit violations, clarify professional registration rules, and allow information sharing for employment and social programs.
Bill 79, the Working for Workers Act, 2023, is an Ontario law that makes changes to several statutes related to employment, labour, professional registration, and social programs. The bill received Royal Assent on October 26, 2023. The bill amends seven different Ontario laws. Most importantly, it changes the Employment Standards Act to expand eligibility for reservist leave to include employees in treatment or recovery for physical or mental health issues, and clarifies that an employer's "establishment" can include an employee's private residence if that is where the employee works. It also adds stronger protections against fee-charging by recruiters working with foreign nationals. The bill changes the Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act to increase penalties for people who unlawfully take or deal with passports or work permits, and gives the Ontario Labour Relations Board the power to reduce penalties in certain circumstances. It increases the maximum fine for corporations from the previous level to higher amounts for workplace safety violations. The bill amends the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act to clarify the definition of "registration" and requires regulated professions to work with the government to ensure Ontario has access to enough qualified professionals. It also requires that if a profession accepts Canadian work experience, it must also accept alternative types of experience. The bill also changes rules about how personal information can be collected and shared by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development for employment programs and social benefits administration, and increases the maximum workplace safety fine. Most of the changes take effect on the day the bill received Royal Assent (October 26, 2023), but some provisions have different effective dates tied to other legislation or to July 1, 2023.
- Expands reservist leave eligibility under the Employment Standards Act to include employees undergoing treatment, recovery, or rehabilitation for physical or mental health issues
- Clarifies that an employer's 'establishment' includes a private residence where an employee works and performs no work elsewhere for that employer
- Modifies notice requirements for employees under the Employment Standards Act to require employers to provide prescribed information to the Director, post it in the establishment, and provide it directly to affected employees
- Increases penalties for people convicted of unlawfully taking or dealing with passports or work permits: up to $500,000 fine or 12 months imprisonment for individuals, up to $1,000,000 for corporations
- Gives the Ontario Labour Relations Board discretion to reduce penalties for passport or work permit violations in certain circumstances
- Strengthens requirements for recruiters and temporary help agencies regarding fee-charging to foreign nationals by updating licence application statements
- Changes the definition of 'registration' under the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act to include various forms of professional membership
- Requires regulated professions to work with government to ensure adequate numbers of qualified professionals are available
- Requires that if a regulated profession accepts Canadian work experience as a qualification, it must also accept alternative experience meeting prescribed criteria
- Permits the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to collect and share personal information for employment programs and services
- Allows the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to collect personal information on behalf of the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services for administering social benefit programs
- Permits use of public website notices instead of individual notices for indirect personal information collection in certain contexts
- Increases the maximum fine for corporations convicted under the Occupational Health and Safety Act from $1,500,000 to $2,000,000
- Employees covered by the Employment Standards Act who may be eligible for reservist leave
- Employees working in private residences
- Temporary help agencies and their employees
- Recruiters and persons recruiting foreign nationals
- Foreign nationals working in Ontario
- Employers of foreign nationals
- People convicted of unlawfully taking or dealing with passports or work permits
- Members of regulated professions (trades and professions regulated under Ontario law)
- Regulated professions and their regulatory bodies
- Persons and entities administering or delivering employment programs funded by the Ministry
- Recipients of Ontario Disability Support Program or Ontario Works benefits
- The Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
- The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services
- Delivery agents and delivery partners for Ontario Works
- Corporations convicted of Occupational Health and Safety Act violations
- Employees have the right to reservist leave if they are undergoing treatment, recovery, or rehabilitation for physical or mental health issues (subject to prescribed or two-month employment requirements)
- Employers must provide prescribed information to the Director, post it in the establishment, and provide it to affected employees on the first day of the notice period
- Regulated professions have a duty to work in consultation with their responsible Minister (or the Minister named in the Act) to ensure adequate numbers of qualified, skilled, and competent professionals are available to Ontario residents
- Regulated professions that accept Canadian work experience as a qualification must also accept alternative forms of experience meeting prescribed criteria
- Recruiters applying for licences must make statements acknowledging fee-charging prohibitions and restrictions on indirect fee collection
- Temporary help agencies must provide notice information to each affected employee on the first day of the notice period or as soon after as reasonably possible
- The Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development may collect personal information for employment programs and services but may not access it unless otherwise authorized by law
- Government entities may use public website notices instead of individual notices for indirect personal information collection in certain contexts
- Royal Assent received: October 26, 2023
- General commencement: Most provisions came into force on October 26, 2023 (the day of Royal Assent)
- Schedule 2, sections 2, 3, and 6 (Employment Standards Act changes): Come into force on the later of July 1, 2023 and October 26, 2023 (effectively July 1, 2023)
- Schedule 2, sections 4 and 5 (recruiter and temporary help agency rules): Come into force on the later of when section 10 of Schedule 2 to the Working for Workers Act, 2021 comes into force and October 26, 2023
- Schedule 2, subsection 7(5) (regulations): Comes into force on the later of when subsection 33(3) of Schedule 2 to the Working for Workers Act, 2021 comes into force and October 26, 2023
- Schedule 7, subsections 1(2) and (3) (Ontario Works Act provisions): Come into force on the later of when section 8 of Schedule 21 to the Supporting Recovery and Competitiveness Act, 2021 comes into force and October 26, 2023
- Increased maximum fine for corporations convicted under the Occupational Health and Safety Act from $1,500,000 to $2,000,000
- Increased maximum fine for individuals convicted of passport or work permit violations (up to $500,000) and corporations (up to $1,000,000) under the Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act
- For convictions under the Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act related to passports or work permits: individuals liable to a fine of not more than $500,000 or imprisonment for a term of not more than 12 months or both; corporations liable to a fine of not more than $1,000,000
- The Ontario Labour Relations Board may reduce a penalty for passport or work permit violations if it finds the penalty is excessive in the circumstances or punitive in nature having regard to all circumstances
- The Director of Employment Standards must refuse to issue a licence or revoke/suspend a licence if the applicant has ever charged a fee to a foreign national in contravention of the Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act, or collected such a fee
- Maximum fine for a corporation convicted under the Occupational Health and Safety Act increased to $2,000,000 (previously $1,500,000)
- The bill does not specify which operations or activities under the Employment Standards Act qualify for the expanded reservist leave provision (this will be determined by regulation)
- The specific information that must be prescribed and provided to employees is not detailed in the bill text (this will be determined by regulation)
- The criteria for what counts as 'alternatives to Canadian experience' is not specified in the bill (this will be prescribed by regulation)
- The bill does not specify how much discretion the Ontario Labour Relations Board has in reducing penalties for passport or work permit violations—only that it may do so if the penalty is excessive or punitive
- The bill does not detail what constitutes 'reasonable inquiries' that recruiters must make about business practices
- The bill does not specify which employment programs and services fall within the scope of information-sharing provisions
- The effective date for some provisions tied to 'the day section 8 of Schedule 21 to the Supporting Recovery and Competitiveness Act, 2021 comes into force' is not yet known
- The effective date for provisions tied to 'the day section 10 of Schedule 2 to the Working for Workers Act, 2021 comes into force' is not yet known
Expands reservist leave eligibility to include employees in treatment or recovery for health issues, clarifies that private residences count as an 'establishment' in certain situations, updates licence application requirements and notice procedures
Source: Schedule 2
Increases criminal penalties for unlawfully taking, holding, or dealing with passports or work permits, gives Ontario Labour Relations Board discretion to reduce penalties in certain circumstances, updates licence-related requirements
Source: Schedule 1
Clarifies the definition of 'registration' to include various membership forms, requires professions to work with government on professional availability, requires alternatives to Canadian experience if it is accepted as a qualification
Source: Schedule 3
Allows collection and disclosure of personal information for employment programs and services, research related to employment programs, and coordination with social benefit programs
Source: Schedule 4
Increases the maximum fine for a corporation convicted under the Act from $1,500,000 to $2,000,000
Source: Schedule 5
Permits the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to collect personal information on behalf of the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services and allows disclosure to that Minister for administering the program
Source: Schedule 6
Permits the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to collect personal information on behalf of the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services and the Director, allows disclosure to those officials and delivery agents or partners for administering the Act
Source: Schedule 7
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textProcess Snapshot
Vote Summary
Representative Voting Breakdown
Vote badges include text labels so the table stays readable for everyone, even without color cues alone.
| Representative | Role | Riding | Party | Vote | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MPP | MPP | Don Valley East | Ontario Liberal Party | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Brampton West | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Essex | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Parkdale—High Park | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Markham—Unionville | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Haldimand—Norfolk | Independent | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Simcoe—Grey | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Waterloo | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Ottawa West—Nepean | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Spadina—Fort York | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Etobicoke—Lakeshore | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Richmond Hill | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Scarborough Centre | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Newmarket—Aurora | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Mississauga—Malton | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Scarborough Southwest | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Oakville North—Burlington | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Nickel Belt | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Carleton | Independent | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Mushkegowuk—James Bay | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Brampton East | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Barrie—Innisfil | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | York—Simcoe | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Brampton Centre | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Northumberland—Peterborough South | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Oxford | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Timmins | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Brampton North | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Parry Sound—Muskoka | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Kenora—Rainy River | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Thunder Bay—Atikokan | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Etobicoke Centre | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Huron—Bruce | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Vaughan—Woodbridge | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Kitchener—Conestoga | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Mississauga Centre | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Mississauga—Streetsville | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Markham—Stouffville | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Brampton South | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Scarborough North | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Niagara West | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Oakville | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | King—Vaughan | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Durham | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Nipissing | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Scarborough—Rouge Park | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Sudbury | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Niagara Centre | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Oshawa | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Kitchener South—Hespeler | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | University—Rosedale | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Toronto—St. Paul's | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Ottawa South | Ontario Liberal Party | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Timiskaming—Cochrane | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Mississauga East—Cooksville | Independent | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Thornhill | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Windsor West | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Thunder Bay—Superior North | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Markham—Thornhill | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Whitby | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Davenport | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Beaches—East York | Ontario Liberal Party | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | York South—Weston | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Guelph | Green Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Scarborough—Guildwood | Ontario Liberal Party | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Hamilton Mountain | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Lambton—Kent—Middlesex | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | Burlington | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Milton | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Ajax | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | London West | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Toronto—Danforth | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Hastings—Lennox and Addington | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Sarnia—Lambton | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Eglinton—Lawrence | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Sault Ste. Marie | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Mississauga—Lakeshore | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Hamilton Centre | Independent | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Mississauga—Erin Mills | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Kiiwetinoong | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | Don Valley West | Ontario Liberal Party | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Kingston and the Islands | Ontario Liberal Party | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
| MPP | London North Centre | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
| MPP | London—Fanshawe | New Democratic Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. | |
MPP | MPP | Bay of Quinte | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
MPP | MPP | Brantford—Brant | Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Yes | Recorded without an additional note. |
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced