A Fredericton law professor says a bill in front of the legislature that aims to give employees more time off due to injury or illness would bring New Brunswick in line with most other Canadian provinces if passed.
The legislation looks to amend the Employment Standards Act to allow employees to take up to 27 weeks of unpaid leave within any 52 week period for personal injury or illness — a huge jump from the current five-day allowance.
“New Brunswick was really the laggard as it comes to the various jurisdictions in Canada,” said University of New Brunswick professor Kerri Froc.
“It seems like there's been a real movement afoot in the last two years, at least, to bring everyone in line with, generally, what employment insurance has for benefits for people that are on sick leave.”
The bill passed second reading last week. It will still need to pass third reading — which won’t be until May or June — before receiving royal assent.
Froc said the amendments would mean someone’s job would be secure if they became sick and couldn’t work for a period of time.
This will specifically benefit people who are not unionized, Froc said.
“They don't have the protection of a collective agreement,” she said. “This is a big deal for people that, you know, are hourly wage workers that aren't unionized.”
While Froc said this legislation brings New Brunswick in line with the rest of Canada, she said some provinces — like Quebec and British Columbia — go above and beyond and include some paid...
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