Workplace Harassment: A Cross-Jurisdictional Comparative Analysis of Legislative Responses to this Workplace Phenomenon in Canada

This thesis investigates different statutory models Canadian legislatures have enacted to address workplace harassment. It adopts a qualitative, comparative case study approach, providing an in-depth comparative analysis of legislation from Québec, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia. Through this analysis, this thesis outlines the ways in which workplace harassment has been regulated in Canada, why that model was adopted by the jurisdiction and how that model measures against other models for legislating workplace harassment. Through an examination of existing literature relating to workplace harassment stemming from three theoretical paradigms and an analysis of a model legislative framework, this thesis creates a tool for scholars and lawmakers to use for future research and enactments of workplace harassment legislation. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that the varying and complex nature of the enacted legislation in the aforementioned Canadian jurisdictions leaves room for improvement for future enactments and amendments of workplace harassment legislation.