Canada's NDP

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November 26th, 2021

Justin Trudeau let Canadians go through a pandemic with no paid sick leave: NDP

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh issued the following statement:

“Today’s announcement is very long overdue. Justin Trudeau owes frontline workers an explanation about why he couldn’t help them when they needed this over a year ago. He needs to explain why he thought it was okay to force them to go to work because he wouldn’t put in place the sick leave they needed.

For 18 months, people had to go to work sick. They risked getting sick at work. They ended up in the hospital or worse because Justin Trudeau refused to put in place 10 paid sick days. During an unprecedented global public health crisis, the Liberal government refused to make things better for workers by offering them paid sick leave. Instead of standing up for Canadians and their families, Justin Trudeau was dismissive when workers and New Democrats urged him to put in place the paid sick leave people desperately needed.

He repeatedly refused to introduce paid sick leave for federal workers and to fix the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit, even though New Democrats called on him to act 22 times in the House of Commons. Today’s announcement is the direct result of New Democrats standing up for workers again and again. This victory for hardworking Canadians shows what can be accomplished when there are New Democrats in parliament fighting for them and their families. New Democrats along with labour leaders and workers pushed the Liberals to act and they were forced to.

But taking action sooner would have helped millions of Canadian workers who really needed the government to have their backs. A report released last year found that 58 per cent of workers in Canada have no access to paid sick leave, including more than 70 per cent of workers who are making less than $25,000 a year.

In an incredibly cynical move, Justin Trudeau called a selfish election in the middle of a pandemic and then, as a campaign promise, announced he would finally be offering 10 days of paid sick leave for federal workers. Justin Trudeau proved that he was more interested in his own political gain than doing his job and putting sick leave in place for Canadians – sick leave that would have undoubtedly saved lives months earlier.

New Democrats have been calling on the Liberal government to support workers with paid sick leave for almost two years. Workers have been forced to wait for too long already, they shouldn't have to wait until 2022 for this crucial support. We will continue to push the Liberal government to put these sick days in place before the end of the year.”