P.E.I. Liberals say they'll introduce sick leave bill this fall

Saying Islanders can't wait for government to act, P.E.I.'s Opposition Liberals will introduce their own bill requiring mandatory paid sick leave this fall.

The government says it is waiting for a full review of the Employment Standards Act, and there will be no movement on paid sick leave until at least the spring.

"This government just does a lot of talking and doesn't do anything," said Opposition Leader Hal Perry.

"They push everything down the road, so we need to approach this matter now. They have an unfortunate habit of taking their time."

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The absence of paid sick leave disproportionately affects vulnerable workers, said Perry, and leaves them without a safety net during times of illness or crisis.

Looking for feedback

The Liberal draft bill would mandate up to three days of sick leave per year, starting 30 days into a worker's employment, said Perry.

At this draft stage, the details, including the number of days of sick leave, are up for discussion, he said. The three days comes from a review of what other jurisdictions are doing in Canada, and is an average.

"We're open to anything at this stage. We put that number out to see what kind of feedback we would get," said Perry.

"We want to hear back from Islanders. We've already received some feedback. And once we've gathered all that information then we can move forward with a complete bill."

In November of last year, the P.E.I. Green Party, then in Opposition, put forward a bill in the legislature that would require 10 days of sick leave.

It was unable to garner support from the governing Progressive Conservatives, who then, as now, cited a need for a full review of the Employment Standards Act.