Houston Won’t Commit To Permanent, Paid Sick Days
HALIFAX–It doesn’t appear paid sick days will be a permanent option for Nova Scotians without coverage anytime soon.
On Monday, the Tim Houston government announced it was reinstating its paid sick leave program while it works on a long-term solution. Temporary coverage is being brought back as the province deals with a spike in Covid-19 cases.
When first pressed on the issue by NDP leader Gary Burrill during Friday’s question period, Tim Houston said the government was still looking into it.
“We are looking at options, we are looking at what’s possible to support Nova Scotians but I don’t want to presuppose what the outcome of that will be,” he said.
Three days later, the government reinstate the old program. When Labour Minister Jill Ballser made the announcement, she echoed the premier’s sentiments.
“I am actively engaged in conversations with labour ministers across Canada about a permanent paid sick leave program,” she said.
While those conversations take place, Ballser says the governmet is also seeking feedback from employees and employers.
“It’s important when we engage in these conversations, if we decide to move in that direction we have conversations on the local level to meet their needs with a permanent program, if that’s the direction we move. But we haven’t made a decision on a permanent program at this time,” she said.
Those comments did little to ease Burrill’s concerns. He says the government needs a permanent program now because the government’s temporary program and the existing federal program both end the first week of May.
The NDP leader says that the provincial government should aim to have a permanent program in place by May 8, to avoid any gaps in paid sick leave coverage.
The PCs say any such program is dependent on federal partners, but Burrill says the new agreement between the federal Liberal and NDP parties makes paid sick leave one of the government’s priorities.
“I know in the agreement between the Jagmeet Singh NDP and Trudeau’s Liberals, one of the parts of that agreement is that we will establish 10 paid sick days for all federally regulated workplaces, which will cover more people, but it will still leave lots uncovered, hence the need for a provincial program,” Burrill said.
Burrill went on to say that, although he is unsure of the federal conservatives’ views on provincial paid sick leave programs, he expects support from the Liberal and NDP MPs.
As it stands, however, no solid plans to introduce a permanent program have been announced.
Evan Taylor is a reporter with CKBW in Bridgewater, a Huddle content partner.