The Sociopolitical Context of Canada's National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace: Navigating Policy Implementation

In January 2013, Canada introduced the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. This paper describes how the standard, which is the first of its kind internationally, came to be the instrument of choice within the current Canadian sociopolitical climate. A key consideration was that the policy tool had to be packaged in a manner that would be accessible and relevant across all workplaces and across all provinces and territories. This paper explores possibilities for future regulation of the standard.