McInnes Cooper is committed to creating an inclusive workplace environment that values, respects and supports the different perspectives, cultures and experiences of our clients and our people. We believe that providing a workplace rich in diversity inspires all members of our team to realize their full potential.
We are proud to sponsor the Halifax Pride Festival, and we wish everyone happy, safe and inclusive celebrations during the 2018 Pride festival season.
Sep 19, 2024
Permanent Residency is the ultimate goal for many immigrants to Canada, from temporary foreign workers to international students. How do you –…
Aug 15, 2024
On June 21, 2024, the Supreme Court of Canada concluded – decisively - that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies to protect the…
Jul 26, 2024
The nature of the construction industry, especially when it comes to seasonal work and where the labour needs and costs must be estimated in…
Jun 27, 2024
Canadian businesses need foreign workers to address labour and skills shortages. Yet the Canadian government is taking steps to reduce the…
Apr 22, 2024
Whether you’re entering the Canadian market by setting up a subsidiary or a branch office, you’ll need to staff your new operations up. And…
Mar 28, 2024
Many international companies set up shop in Canada through branch offices or subsidiaries. Many of these companies are looking to staff up their…
Feb 15, 2024
Francophone immigration is a key and permanent priority for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). On January 16, 2024, IRCC…
Dec 15, 2023
Updated May 8, 2024. Canada’s labour and skills shortage continues – and so does the immigration solution. Canada’s ambitious…
Aug 10, 2023
Canada’s first Tech Talent Strategy aims to aggressively attract tech talent to “fuel innovation and drive emerging technologies forward”.…
Jun 7, 2023
Many Canadian employers continue to be challenged not only with hiring the right number of people, but with finding candidates with the right…
Mar 29, 2023
Immigration continues to play a key role in addressing Canada’s labour and skills shortage. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada…
Mar 16, 2023
Updated Feburary 9, 2024. On January 1, 2023, the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act and accompanying…
Feb 23, 2023
Many Canadian employers continue to be challenged not only with hiring the right number of people, but with finding candidates with the right…
Dec 8, 2022
The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) began as a pilot program in 2017, and became a permanent federal immigration program in 2022. While the…
Sep 23, 2022
Climate migrants aren’t yet arriving on Canadian shores en masse - but the growing number of extreme weather events in Canada and around the…
Sep 20, 2022
Updated August 10, 2023. Canada’s Express Entry system, introduced in 2015, has been a successful and well-received innovation. It’s…
May 10, 2022
We updated this publication on March 1, 2023. On January 1, 2022, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program became the permanent Atlantic…
Apr 28, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic changed many aspects of the workplace for good – but pre-pandemic labour shortages isn’t one of them. While the…
Mar 14, 2022
As part of the Government of Canada’s overall response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)…
Oct 27, 2021
Updated July 17, 2024. On October 22, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada clarified that labour arbitrators have exclusive jurisdiction over…
Jul 27, 2021
Canadian entities regularly contract with foreign companies to provide services in Canada. To complete its obligations under the contract, the…
Jul 21, 2021
Updated February 9, 2024. It’s now widely accepted: it’s imperative that workplaces be both diverse and inclusive. Perhaps the most oft…
Mar 19, 2021
Recently, New Brunswick temporarily broadened the eligibility for its Skilled Worker Stream through its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP),…
Mar 12, 2021
Many businesses with industrial and commercial equipment rely on foreign workers to provide emergency repair or installation services, both for…
Feb 16, 2021
This publication has been updated as at September 17, 2021. Employers across the country – including the federal government, some…
Jan 13, 2021
On January 2, 2021, Newfoundland and Labrador began accepting expressions of interest under the new Priority Skills NL stream through its…
Dec 10, 2020
The current state of closed Canadian borders and stringent travel restrictions in efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to be the…
May 14, 2020
This publication has been updated as of April 23, 2021. Employers that hire and employ temporary foreign workers must comply with many and…
Apr 15, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting more than Canada’s domestic workforce. It’s also disrupting Canadian employers’ access to temporary…
Mar 27, 2020
The COVID-19 novel coronavirus has evolved rapidly, and so have the workplace issues employers are facing – and the questions employers were…
Mar 13, 2020
This publication has been updated as of May 10, 2022. The Prince Edward Island Office of Immigration requires designated employers to file a…
Mar 12, 2020
The havoc that COVID-19 (a.k.a. “novel coronavirus” or SARS-CoV-2) is wreaking around the globe – and around workplaces – is about to…
Aug 8, 2019
Updated May 2, 2024. Canadian provinces are looking to immigration as a solution to labour market shortages, and the health sector is no…
Jul 2, 2019
Watch and listen to McInnes Cooper immigration lawyer Sarah McInnes and MC Alum David Nurse as they chart the Global Talent Stream’s Labour…
Jun 28, 2019
Updated May 18, 2023. The Global Talent Stream is a central pillar of Canada’s Global Skills Strategy. Initially launched as a two-year…
Jan 31, 2019
We updated this publication on May 18, 2023. There’s no shortage of warnings of a worker shortage in Canada – and the consensus seems to…
Dec 18, 2018
On December 18, 2018, the maximum sentence possible for impaired driving (among other things) will increase as the result of amendments to…
Dec 13, 2018
This publication has been updated as of October 15, 2020. Canada became only the second country in the world to legalize cannabis (or…
Sep 28, 2018
Immigration is one of the key solutions to looming (and current) worker shortages in Canada. But an employer that hires a foreign worker must…
Jul 16, 2018
Every parent knows that a lot can happen in 18 months. Many employers agree. The federal government’s extension of employment insurance…
Jun 27, 2018
The legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada is imminent. Employers are feeling the heat to prepare – even as they continue efforts to…
May 24, 2018
Updated May 18, 2023. The Global Talent Stream is the central pillar of the Government of Canada’s Global Skills Strategy: an immigration…
May 11, 2018
Updated July 4, 2024 It can be challenging for employers to fulfill their legal duty to accommodate an employee under human rights laws…
Apr 17, 2018
Updated January 12, 2023. There’s no shortage of media coverage about a doctor shortage in Canada and the resulting impact on Canada’s…
Apr 2, 2018
Workplace sexual harassment isn’t a new issue, nor is it limited to any one industry or country – but it's one that far more women than men…
Mar 29, 2018
We updated this publication on March 11, 2020. The #metoo and #timesup movements drove workplace sexual harassment to the front and center of…
Jan 25, 2018
Insurers have generally been leery of coverage for medical cannabis in both the health benefit claims and in cost of care claims in the personal…
Jan 18, 2018
Updated May 18, 2023. The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) allows qualified U.S. and Mexican citizens in certain “designated…
Sep 22, 2017
Canada’s most important trading relationship is – in all likelihood – about to change: the current U.S. administration has put the future…
Sep 21, 2017
Updated February 13, 2024 An increasing number of employees are struggling to meet the challenge of the competing demands of their employers…
Jul 28, 2017
This publication has been updated as of October 14, 2020. On June 19, 2017, Bill C-16, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the…
Jul 28, 2017
Updated June 10, 2022. The rapid rise in ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) principles has increased focus on workplace diversity and…
Jul 10, 2017
The legal landscape of cannabis (a.k.a. marihuana, weed, pot …) is changing, both reflecting - and contributing to - more relaxed attitudes…
May 19, 2017
Investigations are a vital - but difficult - part of workplace management. The value of a proper investigation can’t be overstated: it plays a…
Apr 21, 2017
In three years (lightning speed in the law), medically assisted dying went from being illegal to being legal. A great deal has changed, a great…
Apr 20, 2017
On April 13, 2017, Canada’s federal government introduced legislation that, if passed into law, will legalize recreational cannabis in Canada.…
Feb 22, 2017
Note: On January 1, 2022, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program became the permanent Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP). Learn more at From…
Dec 13, 2016
Employers’ legal duty to accommodate employees seems to most frequently come up in the context of employees with disabilities. But that duty…
Nov 22, 2016
Canada’s most important trading relationship might undergo some change with the results of the 2016 U.S. election. Facilitating cross-border…
Jun 29, 2016
Employers are entitled to mandate dress codes in the workplace, and even to discipline employees who refuse to comply. But a workplace dress…
Apr 15, 2016
On April 14, 2016, Canada’s federal Justice Minister proposed legislation setting out the conditions that a person wishing to undergo…
Mar 29, 2016
We updated this publication on May 17, 2023. Applying for and obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a critical step in hiring…
Apr 15, 2015
On April 15, 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada decided the City of Saguenay’s recitation of a religious - though non-denominational – prayer…
Mar 31, 2015
Updated June 24, 2021. Women make up close to half of the employed workforce: in 2019, Canadian women 15 years and older represented 47.4% of…
Mar 25, 2015
On March 3, 2015 Canada’s Privacy Commissioner determined that Health Canada breached privacy laws by mailing letters to over 40,000 Marihuana…
Feb 13, 2015
Updated January 26, 2022. With people spending so many of their waking hours at or connected to work these days, romantic relationships…
Feb 9, 2015
NOTE: On April 14, 2016, the federal government proposed legislation setting out the conditions that a person wishing to undergo…
Subscribe to McInnes Cooper to stay current with our leading insights on legal updates, trends, news, events, and services.