Third Parties’ Role in Enforcing Injunctions: John and Jane Doe, Beware!

Recently, in Syndicat des professionnelles et professionnels en milieu scolaire du Nord-Ouest (SPPMSNO) et Commission scolaire crie (L. O.), arbitrator Éric-Jan Zubrzycki rendered an interesting ruling on the employer’s duty to accommodate for medical reasons and the worker’s duty to cooperate in the process.

The Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration recently announced the extension until November 30, 2025, of the measure to stop processing certain low-wage (less than $32.96/hr) Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)

On March 4, 2025, the U.S. government reaffirmed the enforcement of tariffs on Canadian exports, tough with some subsequent temporary exceptions. This is an evolving situation. February 1, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump officially signed an executive order imposing new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. These protectionist measures include a 25% tariff on most Canadian goods and a 10% tariff on Canadian energy imports. Originally set to come into effect on February 4, 2025, the implementation of these new tariffs was delayed by 30 days. In response, the Canadian government has announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods.

The current unpredictability of business relationships between Canada and the United States has caused concern for several Québec companies. To ensure greater certainty and stability when dealing with US business partners, commercial contracts can include clauses stipulating how and where eventual disputes will be resolved.

As of January 21, new restrictions apply to open work permit eligibility for family members of international students and temporary foreign workers. These measures are designed to limit access to these permits in specific situations and to tighten eligibility criteria. This article summarizes the main changes that have come into effect.

The start of a new year is the ideal time for boards to review their accomplishments and establish priorities for the year ahead. To ensure sound governance and effective leadership, it is worth reflecting on areas for improvement to help set the tone for a year of greater efficiency and better results. The following checklist presents 10 concrete actions that boards of directors can easily implement to meet these objectives.

The use of biometrics is growing in both the private and public sectors. For the first time since Law 25 came into force, the Commission d'accès à l'information (CAI) has had the opportunity to render a decision on the use of a facial recognition system. The decision is another illustration of the CAI's rigorous standards regarding biometric systems.

On December 12, the Trademarks Opposition Board (TMOB) published a practice notice that conveyed its intention to break from its hitherto passive role. As part of a pilot project, the TMOB will proactively send notices of summary expungement proceedings against randomly selected registrations.

Since June 1, 2023, following a reform of the Charter of the French language, Québec employers have had to adjust their recruitment practices to meet the new language requirements. This includes rules around job postings demanding that candidates speak a language other than French.