Toronto 
The federal government today introduced legislation that would amend the Canada Labour Code to provide ten days of paid sick leave per year to workers in the federally regulated private sector.
Federally regulated private sector covers approximately 6% of all Canadian employees or about 955,000 employees working for 18,500 employers in industries such as banking, telecommunications, broadcasting and inter-provincial and international transportation, for federal Crown corporations, and for certain activities on First Nations reserves.
The government says this move is in response to many Canadians being forced to choose between staying home when they are sick or being able to afford rent and groceries during the pandemic.
Minister of Labour Seamus O’Regan Jr. said, “Canadians shouldn’t have to choose between staying home when they’re sick and putting food on the table. Paid sick leave will protect workers and their families, protect their jobs, and protect their workplaces. It’s an important step in the fight against COVID-19 and a necessary addition to the social safety net that organized labour has been advocating for.”
This was also part of the Liberals’ election platform.
The government says Canadian workers took an average of 8.5 days of leave for illness and disability in 2019.
Today, the Minister of Labour and @MinJusticeEn introduced Bill C-3 which would provide 10 days of #paidsickleave per year to workers in the federally regulated private sector.
— Employment and Social Development Canada (@ESDC_GC) November 26, 2021
As per the news release, the legislation proposes to amend 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 ten days in a calendar year;
- any day of medical leave with pay that an employee does not take in a calendar year carries forward to January 1st of the following calendar year and counts toward the ten days that can be earned in the new year; and
- the maximum number of days of medical leave with pay that an employee can take in a calendar year is ten.
Ottawa says it will convene provinces, territories and other interested stakeholders to develop a national action plan to legislate paid sick leave across the country, while respecting provincial-territorial jurisdiction and clearly recognizing the unique needs of small business owners.
The new legislation would also amend the Criminal Code to create a new intimidation offence to protect health care workers and persons seeking health services. This means that individuals who use fear to stop a health care worker or those who assist them from performing their duties or who prevent a person from obtaining health services could be charged with the proposed new offence and, if found guilty, be subject to a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Recently, British Columbia became the first province in Canada to legislate 5 days of paid leave for workers beginning Jan. 1, 2022.
