P.E.I. MLAs vote for bill to guarantee paid sick days but not as many as opposition wanted

A Liberal bill meant to let sick Prince Edward Island workers still get paid has passed, but not in a form the Liberals are happy with.

Government amendments mean Islanders will qualify for one paid sick day after 12 months on the job, two days the next year and three days after three years of service.

The Official Opposition had writtenBill 106with a guarantee of five paid sick days per calendar year after the first six months of employment.

It also included a line that would let the relevant provincial minister "implement a financial support program to provide temporary financial support to be given to employers to help them adapt to any increased costs."

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The Progressive Conservative amendments to the bill also removed that suggestion of future support for business.

They also left exactly when the bill will take effect up in the air, saying it will be "on a date that may be fixed by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor in Council."

"I know it is not what we had put forward," said interim Liberal Leader Hal Perry. "Is it enough? Absolutely not. It's not what I wanted, it's not what our intention was but it is a step in the right direction."

Interim Green Leader Karla Bernard also voted for the bill despite what she called its "shameful" amendments.

"Ithink it's pathetic," she said. "I will vote for it because guess what? It is better than absolutely nothing but just barely, let me be clear."

The issue of paid sick days came to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic, when some suggested workers showing symptoms had to keep showing up for work because they could not afford to miss even part of their paycheques.

It was heavily debated in the fall sitting of the P.E.I. legislature in 2022, after the Green Party tabled an unsuccessfulbill on the subject that would have guaranteed 10 paid sick leave days a year. They followed up withBill 107this fall, at which time the number of days had fallen to five.

The Liberal billgave employers the right toask aworker who requests three consecutivepaid sick days for a doctor's note. The Greens did not include such a provision.

As well, the Liberals did not intend for unused sick days to carry forward into the next year, while the Green bill did, as long as the maximum remained at five days per year.

A Progressive Conservative spokesperson said in September that the government would not makeany decisions around sick leave legislation until spring at the earliest, in conjunction with planned changes to theEmployment Standards Act.

Some workers on the Island already have access to guaranteed paid sick days, though. Federal legislation that came into force last December requires 10 paid sick days per year for workers in federally regulated industries like banks,airlines, ports, telecommunications and rail transport.