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You may soon be able to take up to five days per calendar year unpaid leave to attend traditional Indigenous practices, reads a release from the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
In the release, entitled “Eight changes to the Canadian Labour Code you need to know about”, published Aug. 25, the Indigenous practices change features at number six.
The legislation specifies hunting, fishing and harvesting, or “other prescribed practices”. The PSAC say they have asked the government to consider that there are many practices across many Indigenous communities that make it difficult to prescribe them all.
As the legislation currently reads, workers using this provision may be asked to provide proof of Aboriginal personhood.
“We have told the Labour Program that this is problematic and are waiting for a response,” reads the statement.
The changes will impact nearly one million workers in federally regulated private sector workplaces. These employees account for six per cent of all Canadian workers, and particularly, many employees involved in First Nation activities.
If you are employed by one of the following businesses and industries, you also are more than likely working in a federally regulated sector:
- banks
- marine shipping, ferry and port services
- air transportation, including airports, aerodromes and airlines
- railway and road transportation that involves crossing provincial or international borders
- canals, pipelines, tunnels and bridges (crossing provincial borders)
- telephone, telegraph and cable systems
- radio and television broadcasting
- grain elevators, feed and seed mills
- uranium mining and processing
- businesses dealing with the protection of fisheries as a natural resource
- most federal Crown corporations
- private businesses necessary to the operation of a federal act
There is also new leave—up to 10 days per calendar year—for an employee (or child of an employee) who is the victim of family violence.
The first five days will be paid for employees with three months of service. This leave can be used for medical or counselling appointments, court dates, moving or other necessary actions. You may need to provide documentation of the need for this leave.
Two unpaid days of leave have been added to the already existing three paid days of bereavement leave.
For more on these eight changes, visit this release: https://psacunion.ca/eight-changes-canadian-labour-code-you-need-know