Minister of Labour provides details on amendments to Canada Labour Code
Some workers will have access to 10 days of paid sick leave before this year ends.
Amendments to the Canada Labour Code regarding the new benefit in the federally regulated private sector will come into force no later than Dec. 1, 2022, according to Seamus O’Regan Jr., minister of labour.
O’Regan shared the development with his provincial and territorial counterparts when they met virtually on Tuesday.
“Discussions regarding paid sick leave for all workers across the country are ongoing,” said the government.
In May 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised that all Canadian workers would have access to 10 days of paid sick leave per year.
In November 2021, a group of more than 30 employers from Ontario, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia and Quebec sent an open letter to Trudeau to express their support for 10 paid sick days.
“Not only is it an essential public health intervention, but we know firsthand as business owners that paid sick days are good for business and the economy,” they said.
Some of the businesses in the group already offer at least 10 paid sick days, while others support such a move, says Gilleen Pearce, coordinator at the Better Way Alliance.
One month after Trudeau was re-elected in September, health workers also called on the prime minister to keep his election promise of legislating 10 paid sick days within 100 days of re-election.
Previously, a report from the Institute of Research on Public Policy (IRPP) proposed 15 days of paid sick leave for workers.
In September 2021, British Columbia looked for feedback on a permanent sick leave policy in the province. Under the options, the new benefit will cover three, five or 10 days of paid sick leave.
Meanwhile, Ontario’s Bill 247, which would have required employers to provide personal emergency leave to employees, was voted down in April last year.
