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OTTAWA — Workers in federally regulated workplaces should have access to free menstrual products, the Canadian government says in a proposal published Friday.

The government wants to put menstrual products, such as tampons, in the same group of supplies employers must provide free, like toilet paper, soap, warm water, and a way to dry your hands.

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The government isn’t sure yet exactly how the program will work: The notice of its intentions launches a 60-day consultation to figure out what products are needed and how to take into account the cost the move might have on businesses.

There are also questions about how to provide products in trains and aircraft, for instance, where there may space limits or where workers share washrooms with the public.

The proposed rules would apply to the 1.2 million workers in the federal labour force, a group that includes banks, telecommunications and transport workers and makes up about six per cent of the nation’s workers.