• Objectives, Obligations and Principles
• Full Text of the Agreement
• Preamble
• Part One: Objectives
• Part Two: Obligations
• Part Three: Commission for Labor Cooperation
• Part Four: Cooperative Consultations and Evaluations
• Part Five: Resolution of Disputes
• Part Six: General Provisions
• Part Seven: Final Provisions
• Annex 1: Labor Principles
• Annex 23: Interpretive Ruling
• Annex 39: Monetary Enforcement Assessments
• Annex 41A: Canadian Enforcement and Collection
• Annex 41B: Suspension of Benefits
• Annex 46: Extent of Obligations
• Annex 49: Country-Specific Definitions
• ECEs and Arbitral Panels
• Four Year Review
• ILO Conventions Ratified by NAALC Countries

 

Article 42: Enforcement Principle
Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to empower a Party's authorities to undertake labor law enforcement activities in the territory of another Party.



Article 43: Private Rights
No Party may provide for a right of action under its domestic law against any other Party on the ground that another Party has acted in a manner inconsistent with this Agreement.


Article 44: Protection of Information
1. If a Party provides confidential or proprietary information to another Party, including its NAO, the Council or the Secretariat, the recipient shall treat the information on the same basis as the Party providing the information.


2. Confidential or proprietary information provided by a Party to an ECE or a panel under this Agreement shall be treated in accordance with the rules of procedure established under Articles 24 and 33.



Article 45: Cooperation with the ILO
The Parties shall seek to establish cooperative arrangements with the ILO to enable the Council and Parties to draw on the expertise and experience of the ILO for purposes of implementing Article 24(1).



Article 46: Extent of Obligations
Annex 46 applies to the Parties specified in that Annex.



Article 47: Funding of the Commission
Each Party shall contribute an equal share of the annual budget of the Commission, subject to the availability of appropriated funds in accordance with the Party's legal procedures. No Party shall be obligated to pay more than any other Party in respect of an annual budget.



Article 48: Privileges and Immunities
The Executive Director and staff of the Secretariat shall enjoy in the territory of each of the Parties such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the exercise of their functions.



Article 49: Definitions
1. For purposes of this Agreement:  

• A Party has not failed to "effectively enforce its occupational safety and health, child labor or minimum wage technical labor standards" or comply with Article 3(1) in a particular case where the action or inaction by agencies or officials of that Party:
  • reflects a reasonable exercise of the agency's or the official's discretion with respect to investigatory, prosecutorial, regulatory or compliance matters; or
  • results from bona fide decisions to allocate resources to enforcement in respect of other labor matters determined to have higher priorities;
• "labor law" means laws and regulations, or provisions thereof, that are directly related to:
  • freedom of association and protection of the right to organize;
  • the right to bargain collectively;
  • the right to strike;
  • prohibition of forced labor;
  • labor protections for children and young persons;
  • minimum employment standards, such as minimum wages and overtime pay, covering wage earners, including those not covered by collective agreements;
  • elimination of employment discrimination on the basis of grounds such as race, religion, age, sex, or other grounds as determined by each Party's domestic laws;
  • equal pay for men and women;
  • prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses;
  • compensation in cases of occupational injuries and illnesses;
  • protection of migrant workers;
• "mutually recognized labor laws" means laws of both a requesting Party and the Party whose laws were the subject of ministerial consultations under Article 22 that address the same general subject matter in a manner that provides enforceable rights, protections or standards;
• "pattern of practice" means a course of action or inaction beginning after the date of entry into force of the Agreement, and does not include a single instance or case;
• "persistent pattern" means a sustained or recurring pattern of practice;
• "province" means a province of Canada, and includes the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories and their successors;
• "publicly available information" means information to which the public has a legal right under the statutory laws of the Party;
• "technical labor standards" means laws and regulations, or specific provisions thereof, that are directly related to subparagraphs (d) through (k) of the definition of labor law. For greater certainty and consistent with the provisions of this Agreement, the setting of all standards and levels in respect of minimum wages and labor protections for children and young persons by each Party shall not be subject to obligations under this Agreement. Each Party's obligations under this Agreement pertain to enforcing the level of the general minimum wage and child labor age limits established by that Party;
• "territory" means for a Party the territory of that Party as set out in Annex 49; and
• "trade-related" means related to a situation involving workplaces, firms, companies or sectors that produce goods or provide services:
  • traded between the territories of the Parties; or
  • that compete, in the territory of the Party whose labor law was the subject of ministerial consultations under Article 22, with goods or services produced or provided by persons of another Party.