Chamber
senate
Stage
2nd Reading
Introduced
Jun 12, 2025
Progress
This bill restricts the federal government from using public money to impose non-disclosure agreements on harassment or discrimination complainants.
Key Changes
- Bans the use of public money to fund harassment or discrimination settlements that include NDAs, unless the complainant voluntarily requests one
- Bans the use of public money to sue complainants who violate an NDA
- Requires the President of the Treasury Board to table an annual report on NDA use across the federal public sector
- Requires non-government organizations receiving federal grants or contributions to report their NDA use to the Treasury Board
- Allows complainants who have signed NDAs to still speak freely with lawyers, doctors, counsellors, family, friends, law enforcement, and other support persons
- Mandates a parliamentary review of the Act every two years after it comes into force
Gotchas
- NDAs are not fully banned — complainants can still request one voluntarily, but only after receiving independent legal advice that includes information about alternatives
- The bill explicitly overrides parliamentary privilege to require disclosure of NDA data in the annual report, though it clarifies this waiver applies only for that specific reporting purpose
- The reporting requirement covers aggregate, anonymized data only, so individual complainants cannot be identified through the reports
- The bill applies to NDAs entered into after it comes into force, meaning existing NDAs are not affected
- Non-government entities receiving federal funding are subject to reporting requirements but are not directly prohibited from using NDAs — only from using federal money for prohibited NDA purposes
Who's Affected
- Federal government employees who have experienced workplace harassment, violence, or discrimination
- Federal departments, Crown corporations, and departmental corporations
- Parliamentary institutions including the Senate, House of Commons, Library of Parliament, and Parliamentary Protective Service
- Non-government organizations and charities that receive federal grants or contributions
- The President of the Treasury Board, who gains new reporting responsibilities
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- NDAs are not fully banned — complainants can still request one voluntarily, but only after receiving independent legal advice that includes information about alternatives
- The bill explicitly overrides parliamentary privilege to require disclosure of NDA data in the annual report, though it clarifies this waiver applies only for that specific reporting purpose
- The reporting requirement covers aggregate, anonymized data only, so individual complainants cannot be identified through the reports
- The bill applies to NDAs entered into after it comes into force, meaning existing NDAs are not affected
- Non-government entities receiving federal funding are subject to reporting requirements but are not directly prohibited from using NDAs — only from using federal money for prohibited NDA purposes
Summary
Bill S-232, called the 'Can't Buy Silence Act,' limits how the federal government and organizations receiving federal funding can use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) — legal agreements that prevent someone from speaking about a situation. Specifically, it bans the use of public money to pay for harassment or discrimination settlements that include NDAs, unless the complainant themselves voluntarily requests one after receiving independent legal advice. It also bans using public money to sue complainants who break an NDA. The bill requires the President of the Treasury Board to publish an annual report showing how many NDAs were used across the federal public sector and how much money was involved. Organizations outside government that receive federal grants or contributions must also report their NDA use. The bill applies to federal departments, Crown corporations, Parliament (including the Senate, House of Commons, Library of Parliament, and Parliamentary Protective Service), and non-government entities receiving federal funding. The bill was introduced in the Senate in June 2025 and is intended to protect people who report workplace harassment or discrimination from being silenced through legally binding agreements paid for by taxpayers.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses