A Saint John-based company remains optimistic they’ll be able to provide paid political leave to employees running for elected office despite a recent ruling against such plans.
When Innovatia launched an initiative aimed at making a political career more easily accessible to their employees they didn’t expect there would be anything stopping it from happening.
READ MORE: New Brunswick company offers paid leave to employees who run in provincial election
But when changes were made to the province’s Political Process Financing Act eliminating corporate donations, that’s exactly what happened.
“We felt this was something that we could do to enable more and better candidates to run,” explained Roxanne Fairweather, Innovatia’s Co-CEO.
“Having the best and the brightest in our community be able to run for politics is in everybody’s best interest.”
Elections New Brunswick recently reviewed the case and deemed it against the rules, rendering their promises moot.
Innovatia offered two months paid leave to any employee that successfully became a major party’s candidate in a particular riding.
WATCH: New Brunswick looks to increase number of female candidates but no plans for visible minorities
Fairweather says the company is still optimistic for the future.
“The government has been very positive about making that change to accommodate this opportunity for potential candidates,” she said.
“I believe that all parties are in agreement that this would be a good thing,” Fairweather said.
The Executive Council Office did confirm that the province is examining the issue, but no changes to the legislation have been proposed.
Comments