OTTAWA – The federal government is under pressure to step back from proposed regulations about unpaid internships. Here’s a quick primer on the issue

Who’s who: Most internships fall under provincial jurisdiction, but the federal government covers businesses with national scope including banks, broadcasters and airlines. Those industries would be subject to any new federal labour rules.

Budget promise: The 2015 federal budget said the government would amend the Canada Labour Code to ensure that interns under federal jurisdiction paid or not, are covered by occupational health and safety protections and basic safety standards. It also sought to clarify when internships could be unpaid.

Budget backlash: Officials then unveiled proposed regulations with exemptions that essentially allowed an employer to not pay an intern for up to four months of full-time work or up to a year of part-time work.

Not an issue: In consultations a year ago with the federal government, employers told officials that most interns are treated fairly and given meaningful work opportunities. Cases of problematic internships or instances where interns were killed or injured on the job were exceptional.

Government hires: The federal government isn’t immune from using unpaid interns. Between 2008 and 2014, federal departments used 961 unpaid interns and only 22 of them were subsequently hired for federal jobs.