Canadian employers face new legislation governing recruitment and hiring in multiple provinces. Here are some key legal requirements
ollowing a wave of new legislation in most provinces, employers in Canada must navigate a labyrinth of differing rules, many of them new that govern recruitment and hiring. Core themes include pay transparency, disclosure of job status, regulation of use of AI, protection of personal information in recruitment, language requirements, and liability for misrepresentations. This article outlines mainly new and some longer standing hiring rules in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, and Québec.
British Columbia: The Pay Transparency Act requires salary ranges in job postings and bans questions about current or past pay. Employers with 50 or more employees must file annual gender pay gap reports by Nov. 1, 2026. In addition, employers and recruiters may not ask candidates about their past pay.
Ontario: Working for Workers Four Act, 2024 requires salary ranges in job postings and prohibits including requirements for Canadian work experience in postings or application forms. This requirement comes into force on Jan. 1, 2026. Since 2023, employers and recruiters may not ask about past pay. In addition, as of that date, employers are prohibited from requiring “Canadian experience” in job postings or recruitment.
Alberta and Quebec currently have no pay transparency statute.
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