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As you know, earlier this year some employer groups, in alignment with the Government of British Columbia, pressed Ottawa to make changes to sick day coverage that would, in the context of COVID-19, provide government funded paid leave to those employees who tested positive for COVID. The business and trade associations made this request 3 times, in written communications. However, you may also recall, that CFIG was opposed to this measure based on feedback we received from members, along with a concern that the provision could become permanent, and government could withdraw funding and offload the new benefit on to employers. Another member in Alberta also expressed strong concerns about the operational challenges of the sick leave provision. I have not been able to find any other associations that opposed the measure.
Anyhow, yesterday the House of Commons unanimously –Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, BQ and Green–passed Bill C-4 which enacts paid sick leave to a maximum of two weeks, to any employee who tests positive for COVID-19—OR—in the opinion of a medical practitioner the employee has an underlying medical condition that makes them more susceptible to COVID-19, or they have been advised to self-isolate for a two week period. The provisions do not apply if the employee has been granted paid sick leave under an existing benefit plan that may have already been put in place by the employer. So if in Alberta, for example, where the Government a few months ago already enacted a two week UNPAID sick leave benefit for COVID-19 cases, the Federal government would now augment that policy and allow the employee to apply for this to be paid sick leave, to a maximum of $500 per week.
