Acknowledgements
Author’s Acknowledgements
This open text began as a ‘curated collection’ of labour relations materials. The original intent was to develop more engaging and current content to support students who are studying labour relations in Canada. I also wanted to make the content flexible and easy to update, since changes in governments and laws often directly impact the labour movement and employment. Finally, I aimed to make the content accessible to other faculty and students across Canada at no cost to them.
Over several years, I created various pieces of content; however, working with these materials and supplementing my courses with other texts did not yield the best student experience. I realized more was needed, and with the support of the Thompson Rivers University Open Press team, I decided to develop an open textbook. Taking on the work of redeveloping the TRU Open Learning Labour Relations in Canada course with open-source materials provided the final impetus to complete this in 2024.
I am incredibly grateful to the TRU Library, Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CELT), and the TRU Open Education Resource Development Grant (OERDG) Program for 2021/22 for the initial grant that helped me start this project. Dr. Christine Miller was my mentor and technical guide in the early development stages, and I am grateful for her patience, motivation and creative insight as I learned how to work with Pressbooks and create engaging open-access content.
In the latter stages of development, the TRU Open Press team, led by Danielle Collins, were instrumental in getting this project over the finish line, and I am incredibly grateful for her guidance and support. Kaitlyn Meyers provided timely and much-needed copy editing, supporting all the necessary copyright efforts that allowed me to include many of the images and content in this text. This book would not be as comprehensive and complete without her.
This project has been a labour of love, driven primarily by my desire to create an interesting, engaging, and accessible learning experience, but also fueled by my passion for labour relations. I am thankful to all my students over the years who have shared their feedback about the course and these materials as well as their reflections about the interest they gained in the subject from taking my classes and participating in experiential exercises. This is, of course, primarily for you.
About Melanie Reed
Melanie teaches human resource management in the Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics at Thompson Rivers University, working closely with colleagues and students to create unique experiential learning opportunities. Melanie is an award-winning case writer and teacher with an interest in ethics of care and how it can manifest in organizations. Melanie also has pedagogical and research interests in labour relations, social enterprises, and non-profit organizations. She is a member of the Innovation for Social Good (ISG) Research Cluster at TRU.
Melanie has worked alongside, managed, taught, and mentored HR professionals for almost 20 years. She is now giving back to the profession she loves by teaching and mentoring early career HR professionals to become the confident, successful, and credible organizational enablers they are meant to be. She is the host of The HR Mentor podcast that offers advice on job seeking and the HR profession to aspiring HR Professionals.
— Melanie Reed, June 2025
Labour Relations in Canada by Melanie Reed, TRU Open Press has adapted chapters and excerpts from the following high-quality resources:
Land Acknowledgement
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) campuses are situated on the traditional lands of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops) and the T’exelc (Williams Lake) within Secwepemcúl’ecw, the traditional and unceded territory of the Secwépemc. The rich tapestry of this land also encompasses the territories of the St’át’imc, Nlaka’pamux, Tŝilhqot’in, Nuxalk, and Dakelh. Recognizing the deep histories and ongoing presence of these Indigenous peoples, we express gratitude for the wisdom held by this land. TRU is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment, valuing education as a shared journey. The TRU Open Press, inspired by collaborative learning on this land, upholds open access principles, and freely accessible education for all.
Resource Development Team 2025
The Open Press combines TRU’s open platforms and expertise in learning design and open resource development. TRU Open Press supports the creation and reuse of open educational resources, while encouraging open scholarship and research.
Author: Melanie Reed, MBA, CPHR
Publishing Editor: Dani Collins, MEd
Copy Editing: Kaitlyn Meyers, BA
Production: Jessica Obando Almache, BA,
Jesse Perkins, BCS Co-op Student, and
Vansh Sethi, BCS Co-op Student
Cover Image:
