Canada offers free menstrual products in the workplace to promote gender equity

Female workers in all federally regulated workplaces in Canada will have free access to menstrual products during their workday. This measure applies to around 18,000 workplaces, both public and private, including airports, banks and postal services, which must now provide sanitary pads and tampons free of charge in an accessible and private environment.

The government considers access to these products as a basic human right, equating it to the provision of toilet paper for workers. This initiative seeks to create healthier, more inclusive work environments and reduce the stigma around menstruation. According to the government’s press release, the measure will benefit nearly 500,000 female employees across Canada.

In May, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, who amended the Canada Labour Code to require the free provision of menstrual products as of December 15. These changes are in response to the Liberal government’s 2021 election promises to ensure free availability of tampons and pads in federally regulated workplaces, in addition to the creation of a fund to address “menstrual poverty.”

In the 2022 federal budget, Ottawa allocated $25 million to establish a pilot menstrual equity fund for people facing financial hardship related to these products. The Minister of Women, Gender Equality and Youth, Marci Ien, said “At a time when Canadians are struggling to make ends meet, buying pads, tampons and other menstrual products should not be an additional source of financial stress.”

On the other hand, Scotland became the first country to pass a law guaranteeing free menstrual products nationwide in August 2022. In Canada, cities such as Winnipeg and Mississauga have implemented projects offering free products in city-run buildings.

Despite these initiatives, a survey conducted by Plan International Canada in May revealed that a quarter of menstruating women in Canada have had to choose between buying menstrual products and other essentials such as food or rent. Menstrual poverty remains a challenge, affecting people’s education, employment and mental health, according to Saadya Hamdani, Plan International Canada’s director of gender equality and inclusion.

Amid these developments, Congresswoman Karen Vecchio, a conservative critic of women and gender equality, expressed interest in April 2022 in looking further into the underlying causes of expensive menstrual products. “People are making money off of people who need these products,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a government solution,” she said.