'We'll have to work with provinces, territories, workers and employers to get this right and make it a reality for all Canadians'
The federal government is taking a step towards making 10 days of paid sick leave for workers a reality.
Ottawa has opened consultations for the draft regulations that will support implementation of the policy.
“Workers deserve 10 days of paid sick leave. It will protect them, their jobs, their families, close a gap in our social safety net and be a positive legacy of the pandemic,” says Seamus O’Regan Jr., minister of labour. “We’ll have to work with provinces, territories, workers and employers to get this right and make it a reality for all Canadians. I welcome all interested parties to provide input on the proposed regulations, which will help us bring this important piece of legislation into force.”
Earlier, Ottawa announced the start date for when the 10 days of sick leave will take effect.
Specifically, the government is looking for input on:
- the regular rate of wages for employees who are not paid on the basis of time or who work irregular hours
- the eligibility for paid sick leave for employees who have multiple employers
- the enforcement mechanism and promotion of compliance with the new provisions.
Employers, employer representatives, unions, workers, and other key stakeholders can share their feedback until Aug. 15, 2022.
Following the consultation period, the government will finalize the regulations and publish the final draft in Part II of the Canada Gazette in the fall.
The draft regulations are available in Part I of the Canada Gazette here.
There are roughly 18,500 employers in federally regulated industries, including federal Crown corporations that together employ 955,000 people, which is about six per cent of all employees in Canada. The vast majority (87 per cent) of these people work in companies with 100 or more employees, accordion to the government.
On June 23, the Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1, received royal assent. This legislation includes amendments that address technical issues with Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Canada Labour Code.
Bill C-3 amends medical leave under Part III of the Canada Labour Code to provide that employees are entitled to earn one day of medical leave with pay for each month of employment with an employer, up to a maximum of 10 days in a calendar year, among others. It received royal assent in December 2021.
In May 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised that all Canadian workers would have access to 10 days of paid sick leave per year.
