PSAC young workers across the country will be lobbying provincial, territorial and federal elected officials to eradicate the exploitative labour practice of unpaid internships.  

Students spend several years in college and university being told that the skills they are learning are valuable and will lead to good, well-paying jobs. It is unacceptable for Canadian governments to champion these values while allowing employers to impose unpaid internships on young people. This practice undermines fair labour practices, limits accessibility, perpetuates inequality, and creates many barriers to participation. This is a form of exploitation, taking advantage of young professionals, and students, who work without compensation under the guise of gaining “experience”.  

Students who wish to go into nursing, teaching, graphic design, translation, and many other fields should not have to forego a good career because they cannot afford the unpaid work that is required of them during their studies or at the beginning of their career. 

Unpaid internships are inherently exploitative and perpetuate existing inequalities. They devalue work and actively encourage an imbalance in the exchange of labour. Canadian governments must work to rectify this situation immediately. 

Labour Code changes 

To address the barriers to access and the inherent inequality, the Canadian Labour Code was amended in 2015 with a ban on unpaid internships coming into effect in 2020. However, this change still allowed for exceptions in the federal labour code and in provincial and territorial labour codes and employment standards.  

"Entering the job market is already daunting for many students especially those who take on huge amounts of debt to pay for their education,” said Sharon DeSousa, PSAC National President. “We cannot exacerbate these difficulties by forcing young workers into situations where they have to work for free. These gaps in the Canadian Labour Code as well as provincial and territorial codes must be addressed to eliminate this unfair labour practice.” 

If you would like to take part in these lobby efforts, please contact your Regional Office to learn how you can get involved in the process.