Next month, a law that guarantees ten paid sick days a year for employees in federally-regulated industries like banking, telecoms, and air transport takes effect.
…but don’t expect sick day legislation to happen on the provincial level any time soon.
Driving the news: Since tabling the legislation, the feds have met with provincial leaders multiple times to ask them to introduce similar sick day legislation but have had no luck.
- Despite living through a whole pandemic, there’s still no national standard for sick days—for example, BC guarantees five paid sick days and Ontario guarantees none.
- About 60% of Canadians don’t have paid sick days, per the Decent Work and Health Network, with that number jumping to 70% for those making under $25,000.
Why it matters: The ability to take sick days is necessary to keep the population healthy (especially one dealing with a staggeringly overtaxed healthcare system), but lagging provincial action spurred by resistance from employers has left runny noses heading to work.
- The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses has lobbied against a standard number of paid sick days, arguing that sick days should be tied to headcount instead.
Yes, but: Even if employers are forced to offer more paid sick days, employees have to use them—one survey found that prior to the pandemic over half of Canadians regularly went to work sick with the primary reason being that they don’t want to let anybody down.