September 26th, 2024
Chambers Canada recognizes Langlois’ expertise
2025 edition of the prestigious guide unveiled
Catherine Biron
, CHRP Partner
Key practice areas
Labour and Employment Law, Strategic HR Advice, Labour Relations, Federal Labour and Employment Law, Human Rights and Discrimination
Catherine Biron is a partner and Head of the Labour and Employment Law group. She represents and supports employers in managing their human capital and handling any related legal, operational, structural and strategic issues. She is recognized for her pragmatism and ability to act in complex and sensitive matters, and boasts an impressive expertise in employment law, human rights, labour relations, collective agreement negotiation and occupational health and safety. She acts for a diverse clientele of unionized and non-unionized SMEs and large businesses operating under both provincial and federal regulatory jurisdictions.
She represents businesses before all courts and tribunals regarding the management of employees and in a broad range of labour relations and employment law matters, including grievances, civil remedies, human rights and allegations of discrimination, remedies for harassment or other allegations of labour standard violations, and occupational health and safety, to name but a few. Clients appreciate her sound advice, tact, and practical approach to performance management, absenteeism, problematic behaviour in the workplace, and issues related to workplace health and safety. She advises clients at all stages of collective agreement negotiation and acts as a negotiator. If it is impossible to prevent a dispute from going before the court, she continues to support clients pre-litigation, including during mediation and conciliation.
Catherine holds a master’s degree in labour law and human rights law from the University of Oxford (England) and she is a graduate of McGill’s Executive Institute, as well as CHRP. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and offers training to directors and executives. For a number of years, she has been sitting on various committees and boards of directors, including the board of directors of the firm.
- Chambers Canada – Employment & Labour, 2021-2024
- Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory:
- Workers’ Compensation (employer), 2024
- Employment Law, 2021-2023
- Lexpert Rising Stars: Canada’s Leading Lawyers Under 40, 2020
- Benchmark Litigation Canada – Future Star, 2020-2024
- Best Lawyers in Canada – Labour and Employment Law, 2021-2025
- As part of her studies at the University of Oxford, Catherine received a scholarship from the Canadian Bar Association and a scholarship from the Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture.
Professional Associations
- Canadian Bar Association, Québec Branch
- Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers
- Order of Certified Human Resources Professionals (CHRP)
Social Engagements
- Québec Cinéma Foundation, Member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the HR and Governance Comittee, 2019-2024
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Montreal, Member of the Board of Directors and the HR and Governance Comittee, 2021-2023
- TELUS Pour un Futur Meilleur – Community Investment Committee, Member of the Greater Montréal Committee, since 2022
Professional activities
- Member of the Board of Directors of the firm, since 2023
- Co-author: “Absentéisme et invalidité : une nouvelle loi change les règles” [Absenteeism and disability: A new law changes the rules], Carrefour RH, Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés, November 20, 2024.
- Co-author: “Adoption of Bill C-58: Regulating the use of replacement workers in conflict situations (strikes or lockouts) for federally regulated employers”, July 22, 2024.
- Co-author: “Busy start to the year for federal employers”, January 31, 2024.
- Co-author: “The “belt and braces” approach: The Supreme Court of Canada strengthens occupational health and safety obligations”, December 15, 2023.
- Co-author: “A change to the Canada Labour Code adds 10 new days of paid leave for federally regulated workers”, March 16, 2023.
- Co-author: “Reform to the Charter of the French Language: an overview of the main amendments”, June 9 2022.
- Contributor: Le droit du travail du Québec, 8th Edition, Éditions Yvon Blais, 2022.
- Author: “Reminder to federal employers: deadline for Annual Workplace Harassment and Violence Occurrence Report”, February 28, 2022.
- Co-author : “Réforme de la Charte de la langue française : survol des principales modifications”, May 28, 2021.
- Author: “The bill to amend the Charter of the French Language: expected impacts for employers in Québec”, May 27, 2021.
- Author: “Federally regulated employers, be prepared: new Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations due to take effect in a few months”, August 10, 2020.
- Author: “How to mobilize a union during difficult economic times”, June 10, 2020.
- Co-author: “Change management post-COVID-19”, May 4, 2020.
- Co-author: “COVID-19: Order in Council 223-2020 on essential services and the legal risks of noncompliance”, March 26, 2020.
- Co-author: “Personnel placement agencies and temporary foreign worker recruitment agencies: a new regulation changes the game, be prepared”, December 4, 2019.
- Author: “Revamp of the Canada Labour Code: Overview of the Principal Amendments to Part III”, September 13, 2019.
- Author: “Do Employers Really Have an Obligation to ʻAccommodateʼ an Incompetent Worker? Must the Worker Be Offered Another Position Within the Enterprise?”, August 19, 2019.
- Author: “Modifications to the Canada Labour Code: Overview of the Amendments on Harassment and Violence in the Workplace”, June 13, 2019.
- Author: “Draft Regulation Respecting Personnel Placement Agencies: Consultations Underway on Likely Impacts”, April 17, 2019.
- Co-speaker : Conditions d’utilisation des moyens d’enquête et de surveillance de l’employeur [Conditions of use of the employer's investigation and surveillance resources], Langlois Knowledge, November 21, 2024.
- Co-speaker: La liberté d’expression et le respect de l’obligation de loyauté : un équilibre fragile [Freedom of expression and the duty of loyalty: a delicate balance], Langlois Knowledge, webinar, June 15, 2023.
- Speaker: S’adapter à la crise sans se mettre les pieds dans les plats! [Adapting to the crisis without getting in over your head!], Order of Certified Human Resources Professionals (CHRP), webinar, June 9, 2021.
- Co-speaker: L’absentéisme : un défi de taille pour les entreprises [Businesses face major challenge with absenteeism], Langlois Knowledge, webinar, February 3, 2021.
- Co-speaker: La transformation du bassin de main-d’œuvre dans une perspective juridique [The transformation of the labour pool from a legal perspective], as part of the series Les grands enjeux, Order of Certified Human Resources Professionals (CHRP), 2020.
- Co-speaker: Règlement sur la prévention du harcèlement et de la violence dans le lieu de travail [Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations], Order of Certified Human Resources Professionals (CHRP), webinar, October 16, 2020.
- Speaker: Agences de placement de personnel et utilisateurs de ces agences : votre réalité vient de changer [Personnel placement agencies and the businesses that use them should be aware of a new reality], Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, January 28, 2020.
- Co-speaker: Représentation syndicale : restons calmes! [Union representation: let's stay calm!], Colloque 2019 en droit du travail et de l’emploi : composer avec des personnalités atypiques, Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, February 26, 2019.
For more than 15 years, Catherine has been giving clients private courses on a range of topics, including:
- Reasonable accommodations and employer obligations
- Principal contractors’ training and impacts on occupational health and safety
- Consultant management
- Discipline and performance management
- Absenteeism management
- Pay equity
- Workplace accessibility and human rights
- Harassment and violence in the workplace and rules governing investigations (federal)
- Managing alcohol and drug addiction problems in the workplace and the approach to use in view of the legalization of marijuana
- Hot topics in employment and labour law
- Monitoring video surveillance by the employer
- Time theft, disability management, administrative termination of employment, and workplace attendance management
- Managing unionized and non-unionized workplace environments
- Workplace harassment and harassment investigations (provincial)
- Benefits and risks of social media
- Interviewed: « Comment s’affirmer en droit du travail : Stratégies et Expertises » [How to assert yourself in labor law: Strategies and Expertise], Droit-Inc, article by Sonia Semere, September 25, 2024.
- Quoted: “On peut serrer la vis aux incorruptibles télétravailleurs, mais…” [We can get tough on incorruptible teleworkers, but...], Les Affaires, article by Catherine Charron, August 7, 2023.
Mini-MBA, McGill Executive Institute, 2019-2020
MJur (Master’s in Law), University of Oxford, 2006
LL.B., Université de Montréal, 2004