Introduction; Child and Youth Labour Regul ... ; Review of Child Labour Polic ... ; BC Child Labour Policies and ... ; Canadian Context; International Context; Study Results; Working Children and Youth; BC's First Job / Entry Wage; Policy Analysis; Fair Child And Youth Employm ... ; Policy Recommendations; Conclusion; Appendix ; Methodology; Sample and Selection of Resp ... ; Limitations of the Study; Notes; References.

The 2002 changes to the Employment Standards Act reduced the enforcement and monitoring role of the government, undermined workers' knowledge of their rights by removing the requirement to post the ESA in workplaces, reduced employment-related benefits, restricted worker control over their schedules and hours of work, and slashed the minimum wage for first-time workers, many of whom are recent imm [...] To provide a snapshot of Filipinos in BC, the paper Survey data and narratives then presents an analysis of the demographic profile reflected in the survey, including some of the challenges respondents from filipino immigrant faced. [...] According to BC labour researcher David Fairey, "This is the first time that a specific group of employees, by virtue of membership in a union, have been excluded by the Act [ESA]."20 According to Fairey, this has several major implications, and two are particularly pertinent to this study: the provisions of a collective agreement may be below the minimum standards set out in the ESA; and, it enco [...] In fact, the survey, as analysed in the next section, shows that the changes to the ESA exacerbate the economic insecurity already experienced by recent immigrants and other vulnerable workers. [...] Several scholars have demonstrated that immigrants in Canada encounter racism in the labour market as well as in the workplace.26 As the goal of this study was to examine the changes to the ESA and its impacts upon immigrants' economic security, this issue was intentionally avoided in the survey.

Key Findings Sweeping reductions and changes to the enforcement program in BC have had a serious and negative impact on the ability of workers to become aware of their rights in the workplace, to complain of violations of their rights, and to obtain fair treatment in the process of pursuing complaints and having their complaints adequately investigated. [...] In November of that year, the newly-elected provincial government embarked upon a series of substantive changes to the Employment Standards Act, regulations under the Act, and the system of administration and enforcement of the Act. [...] For example, the stated goals of the new legislation were, allegedly, to: • protect vulnerable employees, particularly those in certain sectors; • encourage flexible workplace partnerships; • help revitalize the economy, specifically small business, by recognizing the needs and the realities of the workplace; and • simplify the rules.13 The goal of protecting vulnerable workers is restated in the [...] The Act was substantially restructured in 1995 following recommendations of the first and only compre- hensive independent review of the Act in 1994 by Commissioner Mark Thompson of the University of British Columbia's faculty of Commerce and Business Administration.16 14 Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - BC Office Regulation The Employment Standard Regulation17 is that part of the law whi [...] Administration and Enforcement Administration of the Act, and the policing and enforcement of its provisions and regulations, is the responsibility of the Minister of Labour and Citizens' Services through the Director of the Employment Standards Branch and her/his staff.