Health-care workers demand Trudeau fast track paid sick-leave policy
Posted October 20, 2021 3:45 pm.
Last Updated October 20, 2021 3:46 pm.
OTTAWA — A coalition of front-line health-care workers have asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fast-track proposed legislative amendments to grant paid sick leave to federally regulated workers.
Trudeau has said an early priority of his newly re-elected government will be to give all federally regulated workers 10 days of paid sick leave, and work with provinces and territories on better sick-leave policies for all Canadians.
He pledged to do so within 100 days of receiving a new mandate, but the Decent Work and Health Network says that’s not fast enough.
The group called on the government to immediately amend the Canadian Labour Code to provide 10 paid sick days for federal workers, with 14 extra days during public health emergencies.
The group also asked the government to convene the provinces to create adequate sick-leave policies that would include migrant, precarious, and low-wage workers.
A lack of paid sick leave has been a major problem for many Canadians during the pandemic who couldn’t afford to stay home when ill, risking the spread of COVID-19 in their workplaces.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2021.
The Canadian Press
