Suggests province find ‘balance’ in requirements around medical certificates
Preventing employers from requiring sick notes is simply not the best way forward for the Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) government, according to its finance minister.
"I don't think it would be the best idea to just wipe them. There are, in certain circumstances, requirements for that,” said Jill Burridge, minister of finance, after the question period at the Legislature on Tuesday, according to CBC.
That’s because such medical certificates help employers confirm whether workers are actually sick.
"To wipe out sick notes, I don't think would be responsible."
Instead, she suggests that the province could strike a better "balance" between that requirement and the demand it places on the healthcare system.
On Friday, P.E.I. Health Minister Mark McLane said that he would support the removal of sick notes requirements.
Mother takes sick child to five clinic to get ‘a piece of paper’
During question period, Green MLA Matt MacFarlane related a story about a mother having to visit several clinics to get a medical note for her employer.
MacFarlane then asked Burridge if she supported the removal of the sick note requirement from the Employment Standards Act, according to the CBC report.
Burridge, who is also minister responsible for the Public Service Commission, said she's "certainly" going to look into it.
"I've committed to look into this, absolutely."
Under P.E.I.’s Employment Standards Act, employers can ask workers for a sick note after three consecutive days of illness. However, it's up to the individual employer to decide whether it implements such a policy, according to a previous CBC report.
Workers in P.E.I. will have access to paid sick leave (PSL) effective Oct. 1, 2024 following changes to the province’s Employment Standards Act.
Stakeholders have raised issues around sick notes
On Friday, MacFarlane said that the policy around sick notes should be based on trust in employees.
"We don't build policy around the potential that people are going to abuse something," he said. "If someone is really sick to the point where they can't come into work after a period of time, chances are they're going to be seeing a doctor anyway — and using that opportunity to get better, to get treatment.
"In the course of that consultation, a note can be provided."
In 2020, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) asked employers to discontinue requiring workers to provide sick notes to be allowed time off work amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
But even prior to that, an employment law expert told HRD Canada that demanding a doctor’s note for every sick day is more trouble than it’s worth – for employers, workers and health professionals.