The Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations (SOR/2020-130) came into force January 1, 2021, through Bill C-65’s amendments to CLC Part II. Unlike several other federal obligations in this knowledge base, this one applies to every federally regulated workplace regardless of size — there is no headcount threshold.

The regime has six parts, all built jointly with the employer’s “applicable partner” — the policy committee, the workplace committee, or the health and safety representative, whichever applies:

A workplace assessment identifying internal and external risk factors, including family violence, and the measures to prevent them — reviewed and updated at least every three years.
A written prevention policy with prescribed elements, also reviewed at least every three years.
Workplace-specific training, covering how harassment and violence relate to the prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act, delivered to employees within three months of starting and refreshed at least every three years.
A resolution process that begins with a notice of occurrence to a designated recipient and proceeds through negotiated resolution, conciliation, or investigation as needed — the whole process has to be completed within one year of the notice.
Emergency procedures for occurrences that need an immediate response.
An annual report to the Minister of Labour on occurrences.

Records have to be kept for prescribed periods, and the obligations don’t end cleanly at an employee’s last day: they extend to former employees where an occurrence becomes known within three months of their departure.

This is general information, not legal advice; confirm current requirements at the regulations and the Labour Program’s guidance before relying on them.

Related notes

The Internal Responsibility System and the General Duty (CLC Part II) — CLC Part II replaces the Ontario OHSA for federal employers and rests on the internal responsibility system — shared employer and employee responsibility for health and safety, anchored by the employer's general duty to protect every employee and a fixed hierarchy for preventing hazards.

Health and Safety Committees and Representatives: Headcount Thresholds (CLC Part II) — Federal employers structure health and safety participation by headcount — a representative under 20 employees, a workplace committee at 20 or more, and an additional policy committee once the employer reaches 300 employees across Canada.

Canadian Human Rights Act: Prohibited Grounds and the Duty to Accommodate — Federally regulated employers follow the Canadian Human Rights Act instead of the Ontario Human Rights Code — it lists its own prohibited grounds of discrimination and carries the same duty to accommodate to the point of undue hardship.

Work Refusals and the Internal Complaint Resolution Process (CLC Part II) — Federal employees can refuse dangerous work, and Part II routes health and safety problems through an internal resolution process before any outside escalation, with reprisal against an employee for exercising these rights prohibited.