On March 25, 2020, the federal government passed Bill C-13, an Act Respecting Certain Measures in Response to COVID-19. In addition to the introduction of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit Act (which we reviewed here), the legislation made a number of substantive amendments to the Canada Labour Code (the “Code”) arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Federally regulated employers should be aware of the following changes to the Code:
The employee’s seniority, pension, health and disability benefits continue during the leave (with the employer and employee paying their respective share). If an employee requests, the employer must keep the employee informed in writing of every employment, promotion or training opportunity that arises
This leave is currently expected to remain in place until October 1, 2020.
For more information on this article, please contact Ilan Burkes, Sari Wiens, Nicole Toye or Jessica Fairbairn.
Note to our Readers: Information regarding COVID-19 is rapidly evolving. We are working to bring you up-to-date articles as the legal issues develop and to keep our previous posts updated. Given that the legal issues related to COVID-19 are constantly changing, if you are looking for legal advice or are dealing with an issue in relation to COVID-19, please contact your Harris lawyer or a member of our COVID-19 response team: Sari Wiens, Ilan Burkes, Nicole Toye or Jessica Fairbairn.
To read our most recent articles and other updates on COVID-19, visit our COVID-19 Updates page.