B.C.'s new child labour regulations come under fire from critics.VANCOUVER -- Amendments to the B.C. Employment Standards Act The Employment Standards Act is an Act of the Legislature of Ontario. This Act regulates labour law in the province of Ontario, regulating such things as breaks, health and safety, workplace conditions and a number of other work-related topics. weakens the role of parents and school authorities in deciding whether children aged 12 to 14 can work the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is a union-supported left-wing policy research institute in Canada. It concentrates on economic policy, international trade, and social policy. It is especially known for publishing an alternative federal budget on an annual basis. claims in its report, Who's Looking Out for Our Kids? Deregulating de·reg·u·late tr.v. de·reg·u·lat·ed, de·reg·u·lat·ing, de·reg·u·lates To free from regulation, especially to remove government regulations from: deregulate the airline industry. Child Labour Law in British Columbia British Columbia, province (2001 pop. 3,907,738), 366,255 sq mi (948,600 sq km), including 6,976 sq mi (18,068 sq km) of water surface, W Canada. Geography . It makes the province the most child-labour friendly jurisdiction in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. . The new regulations end the requirement to get a permit from the government and allow the employment of children with the consent of only one parent or guardian. Young kids can be employed up to four hours on school days to a maximum of 20 hours a week and longer during summer holidays. "There is no longer any requirement to inform government of a child's employment or for proposed work situations to be evaluated," reports co-author Graeme Moore, a former long term employee of the Employment Standards Branch. "The system is now entirely complaint-driven." Labour Minister Graham Bruce claims the change strengthens the rules by adding mandatory penalties, replacing discretionary fines for violators who cannot prove they had parental consent Parental consent laws (also known as parental involvement or parental notification laws) in some countries require that one or more parents consent to or be notified before their minor child can legally engage in certain activities. . The new law has a first-time penalty of $500. The Centre report warns that the revised standards do not include any prohibited occupations or activities, such as using power tools or door-to-door selling, nor any restrictions on the time of day a child can work. Low-income families may also be tempted to allow children to work longer hours at low-skilled jobs. The revisions may also contravene con·tra·vene tr.v. con·tra·vened, con·tra·ven·ing, con·tra·venes 1. To act or be counter to; violate: contravene a direct order. 2. international agreements on child labour that Canada has signed, the report warns. The ministry has no estimate of how many children between 12 and 14 are in the workforce but said in the past, there were only about 300 applications for permits a year. The report said permits were routinely turned down but Nicholson said only a handful were rejected. The BC Teachers Federation said "the new labour regulations give our province a dubious distinction. British Columbia now has the weakest child labour regulations in North America." |
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