Call your MP

Just days after our #PaidSickLeaveSavesLives Day of Action, and under pressure from the federal NDP, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged on May 25 to push for 10 days of paid sick leave for every worker in Canada. This is a huge step forward! But, despite his fine words, the Prime Minister has only promised to “explore” options with the provinces, and so far has made no effort to lead by example to legislate the 10 paid days for the nearly 1 million workers covered by the Canada Labour Code*.

Let's make sure the federal government turns their words into action. Take a moment to call your Member of Parliament NOW!

WHAT TO SAY:
Tell your MP: you support 10 permanent employer paid sick days to be legislated immediately, with no public subsidies for the likes of Loblaws, Chartwell or Amazon.
WHERE TO FIND THEIR NUMBER:
Visit the Parliament's website to find your MP's number by typing your postal code (click here).
HOW TO MAKE EVEN MORE NOISE:
Snap a selfie or film yourself in action to post with the hashtag #PaidSickLeaveSavesLives to challenge others to do same! If you can, tag your Member of Parliament in your post to make sure they see it (and tag us so we can share it)!

SUGGESTED SCRIPT:
Hi (name of the Member of Parliament), my name is _______ and I am one of your constituents.

I’m calling to say how happy I am to hear the Prime Minister promise to support 10 paid sick days for all workers.
Permanent, paid sick days make it possible for everyone to stay home when they are unwell.
This is important every single day, but it's even more important during a pandemic.
As my MP, I urge you to support immediate amendments to the Canada Labour Code to legislate the 10 paid days right away.
This would be a strong example for the provinces to follow.
I think profitable companies like Amazon and Loblaws should be providing paid sick days as a matter of law, and I strongly object to using our public dollars to further subsidize these kinds of wealthy corporations.

As community members, we need to speak out to have elected officials hear our voices! As it stands, very few workers in Canada** have a government-guaranteed right to paid sick days. But together, we can change that!

* Canada Labour Code dictates the rights of federally regulated workers in sectors that cross provincial boundaries, like transportation, communication and banking.
** Workers in Ontario have 0 legislated paid sick days, while workers in PEI are entitled to 1 paid sick day a year after working for the same employer for 5 years. Workers in Quebec get access to 2 paid sick days after working for the same employer for 3 months.