With New Brunswick’s new unpaid sick leave law, all 10 provinces in Canada now have some sort of job protection for people who need extended time off for serious illnesses.
From British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador, people with illnesses such as cancer can take up to 26 or 27 weeks of unpaid leave without fear of losing their job.
Get weekly health news
New Brunswick was the last province to increase job protection for workers.
In June, the government adopted a law allowing up to 27 weeks of unpaid leave for illness and injury recovery — up from five days.
Quebec has had long-term sick leave for more than two decades, but the rest of Canada only introduced similar rules over the last two years.
- Alberta Motor Association student patrollers return to province’s crosswalks
- Federal government commits $29M to north Calgary water main project
- ‘Cruel’: Legal community questions N.S. move to exclude tents from higher income assistance
- Advocates say gender-based violence still overlooked in N.S. mass shooting response
-
![]()
DeGroote professor dissects intensifying Canada-U.S. trade war -
![]()
‘Lake Ontario, actually’: Adam van Koeverden responds to Trump’s ‘Lake America’ name change -
![]()
‘What an embarrassment’: Eby derides controversial Hegseth post about B.C. cadets -
![]()
Eby thinks B.C. NDP candidate will beat ‘hateful, divisive’ Kerry-Lynne Findlay in byelection
The wave of change came after Ottawa in 2022 extended unpaid medical leave for federally regulated workers to 27 weeks and EI sickness benefits to 26 weeks from 15 weeks.
The Canadian Cancer Society says that after years of advocacy, the changes are a major win for workers.
Three years ago I was out of work on sick leave for a workplace lower back injury and when I returned, I had lost all my saved vacation days and my benefits. When you are only earning a dollar over minimum wage, the impact is lasting.