[LETTERHEAD OF PERLEY-ROBERTSON, HILL & McDOUGALL LLP]

                                                                     EXHIBIT 5.1
September 25, 200O


Workstream Inc.
495 March Road
Suite 300
Ottawa, ON K2K 3G1

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Re:      Registration Statement on Form S-3
         Our Reference:  CREB128

We have acted as counsel to Workstream  Inc., a corporation  organized under the
laws of  Canada  (the  "Company"),  in  connection  with  the  preparation  of a
registration   statement  on  Form  S-3,  (as  the  same  may  be  amended,  the
"Registration  Statement")  relating to the offer and sale of  1,900,003  common
shares,  without  par value (the  "Common  Shares"),  of the  Company by certain
selling shareholders named in the Registration Statement.

In  connection  therewith,  we have examined  originals or copies  (certified or
otherwise  identified to our  satisfaction) of the Articles of Incorporation and
By-laws of the Company, the Registration  Statement,  resolutions adopted by the
Company's Board of Directors with respect to the matters referred to herein, and
other  records and  documents  that we have deemed  necessary for the purpose of
this opinion. We have also examined such other documents,  papers,  statutes and
authorities  as we  have  deemed  necessary  to form a  basis  for  the  opinion
hereinafter expressed. We have assumed the genuineness of all signatures and the
conformity  to original  documents of all copies  submitted to us. As to various
questions of fact  material to our  opinion,  we have relied on  statements  and
certificates of officers and representatives of the Company and others.

The opinion  expressed  herein assumes the exercise,  prior to the time on which
the  Registration  Statement is declared  effective,  of all of the  outstanding
warrants of the Company held by Platinum  Partners Value  Arbitrage Fund, LP and
Countrywide Partners LLC into Common Shares.



                                                                               2
                                                              SEPTEMBER 25, 2003


Based upon the  foregoing  and  subject to the  assumptions  and  qualifications
stated herein,  it is our opinion that the Common Shares being registered hereby
have been legally issued and are fully paid and non-assessable.

We give no opinion as to the application of the laws of any  jurisdiction  other
than the Province of Ontario.

We hereby  expressly  consent to the  reference to our firm in the  Registration
Statement  under the Prospectus  caption "Legal Matters" and to the inclusion of
this  opinion  as an  exhibit  to the  Registration  Statement.  In giving  this
consent,  we do not  hereby  admit that we are acting  within  the  category  of
persons whose consent is required  under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933
or  the  rules  or  regulations  of  the  Securities  and  Exchange   Commission
thereunder.

This  opinion is to be used  solely for the purpose of the  registration  of the
Common Shares and may not be used for any other purpose.

Yours truly,

PERLEY-ROBERTSON, HILL & MCDOUGALL LLP

/s/ Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP