A new change to the Canadian Labour Code that went into effect earlier this month stipulates that all federally regulated employers are now required to provide free menstrual products in all employee bathrooms.
The change was announced in May of 2023 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s Liberal government and kicked in on December 15.
Regulations posted to Canada’s Employment and Social Development website specify that ‘menstrual products must be in all toilet rooms, regardless of their marked genders.’
‘This means that every female-identified, male-identified and all gender toilet rooms will need to have menstrual products.
{snip}
Buildings required to stock menstrual products will include federal public service departments, crown corporations, banks, airports, and train yards.
The policy change is the result of an update to Canada’s Labour Code. It was finalized after several rounds of negotiations with activist groups United Way, Period Packs, and the Canadian Women’s Foundation.
‘Providing employees with access to menstrual products supports better health outcomes and workplace productivity while reducing the stigma often associated with menstruation,’ said the federal government in a statement about the new policy.
Rachel Ettinger, the founder of Here For Her, a campaign focused on health education in Canada, is the person who initially began a petition calling for menstrual products in bathrooms in 2020.
The proposal was eventually presented in the House of Commons by Ettinger’s MP.
Ettinger said that the government should ‘look at menstrual products as a necessity item, just like toilet paper.’
‘You can’t provide a truly inclusive space for your employees without providing menstrual products.’
{snip}
‘It makes a huge difference knowing that they’re consistently there and you don’t have to carry one with you everywhere, like at the bottom of your purse or the bottom of your school bag or in your pocket,’ she said.
‘It’s not appropriate to ask employees to leave on their lunch break, during time that’s supposed to be rest, to go and find menstrual products.
‘When you get your period and there’s no way to manage it, it’s remarkably isolating. You essentially have to … use toilet paper or some other inappropriate mechanism for managing your period.’
Ettinger also touched on the point that the menstrual products will be stocked in men’s bathrooms as well as women’s.
‘Not only women or those who identify as women menstruate,’ she said.
‘Trans men, gender non-conforming and two-spirit folks menstruate as well, and everyone who menstruates deserves to menstruate with dignity.’
She added that her hope is for what has started in the public sector to extend to private business.
{snip}
But not everyone is rejoicing as Canada implements socially progressive policies that continue to publicly blur the lines of gender.
Former Canadian Conservative senator Linda Frum posted to her X account as the changes went into place facetiously criticizing the policy.
‘Back in the day, when only women menstruated, we had to pay for our own products. But now that men menstruate too, these products, as of this week, are mandated to be free in all Men’s washrooms in all federal workplaces, including Parliament Hill – where this photo was taken today,’ she wrote above an image of menstrual products found in a men’s bathroom in Ottawa’s Parliament Hill, where the Canadian government is headquartered.
An X account called @HoCStaffer (House of Commons) also criticized the implementation of the new policy.
‘Can confirm that your tax dollars now provide free tampons in the Parliament of Canada mens’ washrooms. For “employees who menstruate,”‘ read a post that included a screenshot of the new policy being announced to the House of Commons.
In a follow-up note, the poster wrote: ‘They’re also going to build dispensers for all the tampons which won’t be used since 1) men don’t menstruate & 2) they are just going to bring them home to their wives for free.’
{snip}
Taxpayers will also be funding the menstrual products now required to be in men’s restrooms.
Lilley added that the announcement of the policy on government-run websites continued what some conservatives have identified as the trend of eliminating the word ‘women.’
Those to whom tampons and pads would be useful were referred to over and over again as ‘menstruating employees.’
‘We are eliminating the language that identifies women as being distinct from men … all because of an attempt to be politically correct when it comes to transgender issues,’ he said.
‘You can be respectful … without diminishing women.’
‘This is the focus of the Trudeau government’ amid the country’s ongoing affordability, housing, and immigration crises.
* Original Article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12877163/amp/Justin-Trudeau-tampons-transgender-taxpayers-Canada-bathrooms.html?ito=smartnews
