Canada lags the world in paid time off work; big discrepancies also exist among provinces
Ottawa (2 August 2007) - The Canadian Labour Congress is calling for a national minimum of three paid weeks of vacation for all workers after producing a report showing that Canada lags the developed world in paid time off work and that huge differences also exist from province to province within the country.
"The upcoming August civic holiday reminds us that hard-working Canadians get a very limited right to paid time off the job relative to workers in similar economies," says CLC president Ken Georgetti.
"The first Monday in August is a statutory holiday in only three provinces and two territories. While some provinces, like Ontario, offer only two weeks of paid vacation each year, Saskatchewan offers up to four weeks of paid vacation after 10 years of service. I think Canadians, in general, deserve better no matter where they live," says Georgetti.
Georgetti says it's time for the federal and provincial governments to move to a new national legal minimum of 10 paid statutory holidays and a minimum of three weeks paid vacation after one year of service, rising to four weeks after 10 years of service.
"This would extend what workers in Saskatchewan and most unionized workers already enjoy to all Canadians," he says. "It would also move us closer to the much higher European standard of four-to-six weeks of paid vacation."
A recent review of the Canada Labour Code (Part III) by Professor Harry Arthurs endorsed an increase in paid vacation time in the federal sector.
The new CLC report details the rights workers have to paid holidays by province and in Canada as compared to other OECD countries. It can be found on the Canadian Labour Congress web site: canadianlabour.ca.
The Canadian Labour Congress, the national voice of the labour movement, represents 3.2 million Canadian workers. The CLC brings together Canada's national and international unions along with the provincial and territorial federations of labour and 135 district labour councils. NUPGE
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