Federally regulated workplaces now required to provide free menstrual products

Federally regulated workplaces in Canada are now mandated to provide free menstrual products to employees, as changes announced early this year to the Labour Code take effect.

Under the changes, employers are required to provide pads and tampons to employees who need them while on the job at their workplace. These products should be in an accessible and private work location, such as a washroom or office supply cabinet.

"We don't expect you to bring your own toilet paper to work, so why should we expect you to bring pads and tampons?" said Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, Jr. "We're providing menstrual products to employees in federally regulated workplaces because periods are a fact of life and there should be no stigma."

The change is expected to affect nearly half a million employees in Canada who menstruate, including cisgender women, non-binary individuals, transgender men, and intersex individuals.

Ending period poverty

In implementing these changes to the Labour Code, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien said the government is taking another step to end period poverty and advance menstrual equity.

Previously, research from the Women and Gender Equality Canada found that one in six Canadians who menstruate have experienced period poverty. Another 20% said they may not be able to afford period products at some point in the next 12 months, including seven per cent who said this is very likely.

"At a time when Canadians are struggling to make ends meet, buying pads, tampons and other menstrual products shouldn't be an additional source of financial strain," Ien said in a statement. "This is about putting money back in the pockets of people in need and building a more equitable country."

Making it the norm

The Canadian government said the changes will also create healthier and more inclusive workplaces.

"This is about basic health and hygiene," said Carolyn Bennett, Member of Parliament for Toronto—St. Paul's, in a statement.

"Every workplace should be providing free menstrual products. Today is a big day, but I hope this soon becomes the norm."

The Federal Government first announced the change in May, following consultation in 2022. It said the change is a major step for Canada in becoming a "leader in workplace gender equality."