NSFL welcomes new harassment protections. These changes are progress, but it’s not the finish line.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Halifax – The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour (NSFL) is welcoming a significant step forward in workers’ rights as new workplace harassment rules take effect September 1, 2025. These rules now make bullying, sexual harassment, and psychological harm clear hazards under Nova Scotia’s health and safety laws.

Under the new law, workers are protected from:

• A single serious act or repeated harassment, including bullying;
• Harassment based on personal characteristics like race, gender, or disability;
• Any form of sexual harassment, including unwanted touching, sexual comments, or sharing of sexual images.
• Even one serious incident can now count – workers don’t have to prove it happened over and over.
• Forces employers to take action to prevent harassment – not just respond after it happens.
• Protects workers whether or not the harm was intentional.

“The new definition finally recognizes that mental and emotional harm are just as real as physical injury,” says Danny Cavanagh, President of the NSFL. “It means employers must act to prevent harassment, not just deal with it after it happens.” 

However, Cavanagh says there’s still work to be done. “This change is a win for workers. It puts bullying, sexual harassment, and psychological harm into our workplace safety laws for the first time. But we still need to push to bring our laws in line with the ILO standard, so every worker is protected in every work situation.”

The International Labour Organization’s Convention ILO C190, adopted by the Canadian government, sets a higher bar by including economic harm, covering all types of workers, including gig and contract workers and protecting people beyond the physical workplace, such as during work travel or online. 

“We will keep pushing for Nova Scotia’s laws to meet the ILO standard definitions, so every worker is safe, respected, and protected no matter where or how they work.”

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For more information or to arrange interviews contact: NSFL President Danny Cavanagh @ (902) 957- 0822 

The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour is the provincial voice of the Labour Movement, representing 70,000 members in over 400 union locals.