EXCERPTS
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has promised to introduce a plan that would allow Canadians in federally regulated industries to formally request "more flexible work conditions," in a bid to address the "new work-life balance for families."
Under the proposal, employees would have the right to ask employers for more flexible work hours or the ability to work from home, Trudeau said during a federal election campaign stop in Winnipeg. The employer would be required to "formally respond in writing" to the request, Trudeau said, adding that similar frameworks are already in place in several European countries, including the U.K.
The Canada Labour Code would be amended to ensure employees' rights to make requests, and according to Trudeau, his government would work with the provinces and territories to include similar rights for employees in their own jurisdictions.
Trudeau said that in seven in 10 Canadian families, both parents work, and the current Conservative government "has failed to adapt to this new reality."
Trudeau is expected to make another announcement during a campaign event later Wednesday.
The federal election is Oct. 19.
-reprinted from CBC News