Xavier Hamel
Lawyer, Partner - Quebec City
Xavier Hamel practises labour and employment law, with a particular focus on matters related to hiring, termination, labour standards, occupational health and safety, human rights and freedoms, restrictive covenants, certification and the interpretation and enforcement of individual employment contracts and collective labour agreements. He has extensive knowledge of and a practical approach to disciplinary matters, performance, unjustified absenteeism, disability and problematic behaviours in the workplace.
He acts for various employers in unfair competition and client solicitation disputes, and his knack for mitigating risk is especially appreciated in corporate reorganizations and sales.
Xavier represents clients before the administrative tribunals having jurisdiction in labour matters and before the civil courts. He acts as a spokesperson for institutional and private clients in the context of collective agreement negotiation and renewals. He gives conferences on various topics in labour law and human resources management.
Xavier has also developed an interest in access to information and privacy law, where he represents employers before the Commission d’accès à l’information (Access to information commission). He has also gained experience in business immigration and international mobility and participates in different files regarding turnkey solutions to employers that include obtaining the required authorizations from Québec and federal authorities to hire foreign nationals in Canada.
Education
LL.B., Université Laval, 2013
Rankings & Recognitions
Québec Bar’s Participatory Justice Award for the highest score in alternative dispute resolution processes and participatory justice, 2012-2013
Areas of Practice
Industries
Representative Work
Spokesperson for the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux in relation to the negotiation of the framework agreement with the Federation of Medical Specialists of Québec for the purposes of implementing the Health Insurance Act
Spokesperson for the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux as part of the implementation and renewal of certain collective agreements with associations representing intermediate resources and family-type resources
Representation of several members of employer associations as part of the challenge of the constitutional validity of shift schedules in Québec as a result of grievances filed, a file whose stakes were valued at $125 million
Management of labour relation and employment law issues in connection with various business transactions, including the acquisition of a Québec corporation by a U.S. semiconductor corporation, in a transaction estimated at over $200 million
Recurrent advice to several institutional or private employers operating globally regarding all their immigration law needs in Canada
Representation of different public and private bodies in connection with review applications before the Commission d’accès à l’information as a result of requests for access to information
Representation of and advice to several unionized employers in the negotiation of a first collective agreement or its renewal
Representation of various employers before the Administrative Labour Tribunal in the context of accreditation matters or complaints for prohibited practices or termination without good and sufficient cause
Representation of various unionized employers in the context of grievance arbitration or dispute resolution process
Publications
News
Other Publications
2022 – “Promouvoir la rétention des employés clés d’une entreprise dans le cadre d’une transaction”, Deal Law Wire, June 2022.
2022 – “Attirer ou conserver ses employés avec la mise en place de nouveaux avantages sociaux : attention aux obligations fiscales”, Global Workplace Insider, July 2022.
2021 – “Mondialisation, mobilité internationale et télétravail : vers une possible obsolescence du cadre d’analyse des limites territoriales dans les clauses de non-concurrence en matière d’emploi”, Global Workplace Insider, August 2021.
2021 – “Post-pandemic: The issues of working from home and the need for a related policy”, Legal Update, May 2021.
2020 – “Détenir un motif sérieux de congédiement ne cautionne pas tout comportement – Rappel de savoir-vivre pour les employeurs québécois”, Global Workplace Insider, September 2020.
2019 – “La Cour d’appel reconnaît que le courriel professionnel d’un salarié peut servir à diffuser un message de nature syndicale dans le cadre de négociation”, Legal Update, Canada, July 2019.
2019 – “L’article 46 de la Charte des droits et libertés de la personne : une approche restrictive consacrée récemment par une sentence arbitrale”, Legal Update, Canada, July 2019.
2019 – “Restriction territoriale des clauses de non-concurrence dans l’industrie technologique – lorsque la limitation semble elle-même avoir une limite”, Global Workplace Insider, March 2019.
2019 – “La Loi sur la protection des renseignements personnels dans le secteur privé a 25 ans : votre opinion sollicitée”, Global Law Firm, March 2019.
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