This employee training guide reviews the rules every employer in Canada must follow. From harassment to first aid, use this guide to meet your training obligations in 2025.
When onboarding new employees, employers typically provide employee training on a wide range of topics, which may include everything from technology to workplace policies to benefits and compensation. The main focus of most organizations is to prepare new hires for their specific job roles, integrate them into the company culture, and provide them with the knowledge and resources needed to succeed in their new positions.
When developing an employee training program, it is also critical to ensure that employers provide all training mandated in employment legislation. It is important to remember that, typically, these employee training obligations kick in as soon as you hire one employee.
Generally, such training must be provided during working hours or employees must otherwise be paid for training time.
Understanding and complying with training requirements can be overwhelming, especially since laws vary from one province to the next. This guide breaks down what training is legally required, recent updates, and how HR teams can stay ahead with simple tools to ensure compliance.
So, what employee training is an employer required – by law – to implement? And what new developments should employers keep in mind?
Health & Safety
Most mandatory employee training is contained in health and safety legislation.
General Health & Safety Training
Every Canadian jurisdiction — federal and provincial — requires general workplace safety training for all workers. Typically, employers must provide information, instruction and training necessary to ensure the health and safety of workers at the workplace. Many jurisdictions also specify that employee training must cover emergency procedures (e.g., fire prevention and emergency evacuation).
Beyond these basic minimums, Canadian health and safety legislation includes specific training requirements regarding:
- harassment and violence
- first aid
- ergonomics
- new and young worker orientation
- supervisor
- health and safety committees.
Harassment & Violence
Every jurisdiction in Canada requires employers to provide training on workplace harassment and/or violence to all workers. Typically, workers must receive training on how to recognize and respond to violence and harassment. Some jurisdictions only require workplace violence training for workers who may be exposed to violence or are likely to encounter it as a part of their work.
Additional training may be required where employers have employees working alone, which tends to increase the risk of exposure to harassment or violence.
First Aid
All employers in Canada must provide their first aid attendants with first aid training. The level of training required depends on:
- the number of workers
- the level of workplace risks and hazards
- travel time to a hospital.
Ergonomics
Many provinces mandate ergonomic training for workers at risk of musculoskeletal injury (MSI). Employers must ensure that these workers receive training to eliminate or reduce the possibility of injury. Training may include information on:
- signs and symptoms of MSIs
- measures to control the risk of MSI (e.g., work procedures, mechanical aids).
New & Young Workers
British Columbia, Manitoba and New Brunswick require employers to provide health and safety orientation programs for new and young (under age 25) workers. Topics may include:
- legal rights (e.g., right to report unsafe working conditions and to refuse to perform unsafe work)
- health and safety responsibilities
- potential workplace hazards.
Supervisors
Most Canadian jurisdictions require employees with supervisory or managerial responsibilities to receive additional health and safety training. Requirements vary, but typically supervisors should be familiar with applicable health and safety legislation and specific hazards at the workplace.
Health & Safety Committees
At workplaces with a health and safety committee or representative, the members of the committee or representative (as applicable) must receive additional training. Generally, such training should help them to fulfil their duties.
For a deeper dive, see our earlier post: Health and Safety Committees – 3 Key Questions Answered.
Accessibility
Currently, only Ontario and Manitoba have accessibility legislation that includes employee training requirements.
In Ontario, employers must provide training on accessibility standards and the Human Rights Code (as relates to persons with disabilities) not only to employees, but also volunteers.
Manitoba requires employers to provide accommodation training to persons who are responsible for hiring, supervising, training, promoting or terminating employees, as well as those who develop and implement the employer’s policies and practices.
What’s New in Employee Training
Like most HR compliance, the rules regarding employee training are continually being reviewed and updated.
Naloxone Kits in Ontario Workplaces
Since June 2023, Ontario employers must train staff on naloxone use in workplaces where kits are required. Specifically, Ontario employers must ensure that the worker near a naloxone kit is in charge of it and has received the training on:
- recognizing an opioid overdose
- administering naloxone safely.
See our earlier post – Naloxone Kits Required at Ontario Workplaces – for more details.
Quebec’s New Harassment Training Requirements
In 2024, Quebec amended its laws governing employee harassment. In an effort to establish stronger protections for employees, Quebec passed Bill 42 – instituting more detailed requirements respecting psychological harassment and sexual violence for employees working in the province. These new duties include a requirement to provide information and training programs on psychological harassment prevention.
Conclusion: Training Isn’t Optional — It’s the Law
Whether you’re onboarding your first hire or managing a large team across provinces, mandatory employee training is a legal responsibility that protects both your business and your people. Use tools that simplify your compliance work so you can focus on what matters most: building a safe, productive workplace.
How to Comply with Mandatory Employee Training
Staying current with all your mandatory training obligations can feel overwhelming — especially if you operate in multiple provinces. That’s where Compliance Works helps:
- Interactive compliance checklists
- Plain-language summaries of Canadian HR laws
- Auto-tracked updates so you never fall behind
Start your free 14-day trial and see how easy compliance can be.
