New Brunswick is introducing proposed changes to allow people experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence to take leaves from work.
It’s legislation that’s fantastic and long overdue, according to the president of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour.
Patrick Colford tells us his group has been pushing for this kind of legislation — which already exists in several other provinces — for nearly a decade.
Colford says financial worries can sometimes prevent people in bad situations from seeking help.
“If somebody doesn’t show up for work and does not get paid for that day, the abuser is going to know that they weren’t at work,” he says, “and then a whole lot of questions will happen and then possibly more abuse will happen because of that.”
Proposed amendments to the Employment Standards Acthttps://t.co/3zQNGdNnhD
— Government of NB (@Gov_NB) January 22, 2018
The province says the provisions would allow a leave of absence for people to seek medical attention and support services, relocate and seek legal help, among other things.
“We think that there should be 10 days’ paid leave and it should be up to the person who will be using this leave whether they want to take it intermittently or continuously,” says Colford, noting that it takes time for people to leave bad situations.
Officials will gather feedback and recommendations on the proposed changes in the coming weeks.
Colford says it’s crucial for the province to get this legislation right so people who are impacted by violence have a chance to get away.
Labour Minister Gilles LePage was not available for an interview about the proposed changes, but a statement from his department says four other jurisdictions currently provide leave for persons experiencing domestic violence.
– Manitoba leave provisions include up to 10 days (intermittent or in one continuous period) and up to 17 weeks (one continuous period), including up to five days paid leave;
– Saskatchewan includes 10 days of unpaid leave;
– Ontario includes leave of up to 10 days and up to 15 weeks in each calendar year, of which the first five days are paid leave; and
– Alberta includes up to 10 unpaid days in a calendar year.
The statement goes on to say that once the consultation period is complete, government will introduce regulatory amendments that will address the elements of the leave provision.
