New Brunswick is planning to join other provinces in offering job-protected leave for victims of domestic violence.
“It is essential that New Brunswick’s employment standards legislation be continually modernized to maintain a competitive labour market and keep up with the needs of employers and employees,” said Labour, Employment and Population Growth Minister Gilles LePage.
“Introducing leave provisions for persons experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence would align the province with Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan, while updating unpaid leave protections in the Employment Standards Act would reflect recent changes to the federal government’s Employment Insurance Act.”
Read: What do Canadian provinces offer around domestic violence leave?
Leave provisions for people experiencing domestic violence would allow a leave of absence to, among other things, seek medical attention, obtain support services, relocate and seek legal or law enforcement help. In the case of Ontario, it provides leave of up to 10 days and 15 weeks in a calendar year when an employee or a child has experienced or faced threats of domestic or sexual violence. Under Ontario’s rules provide for paid leave for the first five days taken in a calendar year.
“I am pleased that the provincial government will add intimate partner violence as a designated leave under the Employment Standards Act,” said New Brunswick Federation of Labour president Patrick Colford.
“Our organization looks forward to participating in this consultation process to define what this leave will look like.”
Besides domestic violence leave, New Brunswick is also looking to provide job protection for people who leave work to care for a family member.