HALIFAX 鈥� The Nova Scotia government has tabled a bill that would significantly increase the amount of unpaid time off for employees who develop a serious illness or are severely hurt on the job.
Introduced on Thursday, Labour Minister Jill Balser said if the bill becomes law, workers will get up to 27 unpaid weeks off without fear they will lose their jobs.
鈥淓mployees shouldn鈥檛 have to worry about anything but getting better,鈥� Balser told reporters. "Eligible employees will have the job protection they need so they can focus on recovery."
Currently, workers are permitted up to three unpaid days off, and the new bill adds another five days of unpaid leave for general illness.
Balser said the bill is the product of consultations with the Canadian Cancer Society, adding that it aligns with other Canadian jurisdictions, as well as the federal government鈥檚 employment insurance sickness benefit and employment insurance benefit.
Heather Mulligan, manager with the Canadian Cancer Society, said the bill is a 鈥渟ignificant step forward鈥� that will give Nova Scotians a stronger social safety net. She said 40 per cent of all people diagnosed with cancer are aged between 20 and 64.
鈥淭his allows those Nova Scotians who do not have adequate coverage through their employer to have that important social safety net to catch them so that they have options,鈥� Mulligan told reporters after the bill was introduced. She said the legislation will assure Nova Scotians that their jobs are held for them and not reassigned in the event of a serious illness diagnosis or injury.
Liberal labour critic Lorelei Nicoll said she was 鈥減leased鈥� with the proposed bill, saying it's an example of what governments can do when they put political differences aside. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter what side of (the legislature) that we sit on when we come together and we represent what we hear from Nova Scotians,鈥� Nicoll said.
If passed, the bill would also require reviews every five years of the province's worker compensation system. And It would require co-operation between employer and employee on return-to-work plans for workers injured on the job.
Karen Adams, CEO of the Workers鈥� Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, told reporters the duty to co-operate is the most significant part of the legislation, and will help deliver an employee back to the workforce faster after an injury.
鈥淭his duty to co-operate legislation that has been introduced today helps employers, workers, and the Workers鈥� Compensation Board as well to all rally around that worker and ensure they get back to meaningful work,鈥� Adams said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2024.
Cassidy McMackon, The Canadian Press
