Speaker at upcoming Canada Employment Law Masterclass explains why social media posts are redefining workplace obligations
When an employee expresses a controversial political view online, tags no employer, and lists no job title, most would assume they’re operating in a private sphere. Increasingly, that assumption is landing in human resources (HR) departments – and there are no easy answers waiting there.
Rick Dunlop, partner and practice group leader, labour and employment at Stewart McKelvey in Halifax, has spent much of 2026 navigating one of Canadian employment law's most difficult emerging tensions: what happens when an employee's off-duty online speech filters back into the workplace – and what obligations does that create for employers caught in the middle?
Dunlop will be presenting a case study session on workplace culture, harassment, and off-duty conduct at the Canada Employment Law Masterclass – running virtually on Sept. 29, 2026 – and he’s candid about the complexity involved. "I'm not sure there's a perfect answer to it," he says. But he’s equally clear about one thing: the issue is already here.
"It's going to happen to you, because there’s a tendency in 2026, if you have a view, to express it online,” says Dunlop. “And if you have a controversial position, often there’s a real tendency to want to express that."
Not every off-duty conduct case carries the same legal weight. Dunlop draws a distinction...
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