Free menstrual products will be available at federal workplaces later this year 

Starting in December, federally regulated workplaces will be required to make pads and tampons available at no cost to public servants.

Employees in federally regulated workplaces will begin to have free access to menstrual products later this year.

The federal government made the announcement Wednesday, saying starting Dec. 15, 2023, employers will be required to make menstrual products available at no cost to public servants.

This means putting pads and tampons in washrooms or other places so that any worker who needs them while on the job has access, Employment and Social Development Canada said in a news release.

“Tampons and pads are basic necessities. So we’re making sure they’re provided to workers at no cost, because it’ll make for healthier and safer workplaces,” Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan Jr. said in a statement with the release.

Employers will have flexibility on how they implement the new rules.

A pilot project will roll out in the coming months and guidance material will be developed in consultation with employers and made available online prior to the rules coming into effect, the government said.

This comes after the Liberal government created a public consultation process in 2019 on providing menstrual products in federally regulated workplaces that came to a close in September 2021.

The Liberals pledged to provide free tampons and pads in federally regulated workplaces in their 2021 election campaign.