The following is being distributed at the request of the Labour Relations Agency:

Provincial Government Focuses on Health and Well-being of Families

Amendments to Labour Standards Act Support Families in Crisis

In its continued support of families, the Provincial Government is making it easier for working parents to deal with challenging situations in relation to their children. Proposed amendments to the Labour Standards Act will help ensure that the jobs of parents are protected as they take leave to focus on their families in times of trying circumstances such as dealing with a critically ill child, or with a crime-related child death or disappearance. The amendments received second reading in the House of Assembly today.

“Offering this option to parents is important for the citizens of our province who find themselves in the most difficult and trying circumstances imaginable. These types of provisions are vital for working parents in Newfoundland and Labrador, allowing them to address the needs of their families, secure in the knowledge that their jobs are protected.”
- The Honourable Darin King, Minister Responsible for the Labour Relations Agency

The proposed amendments create two new job-protected, unpaid leaves of absence under the Labour Standards Act:

• Critically ill child care leave, which provides up to 37 weeks of leave for the parent of a critically ill child to provide care or support to that child;
• Crime-related child death or disappearance leave, which provides up to 52 weeks of leave for the parent of a child who disappears as a result of a probable Criminal Code offence, and up to 104 weeks of leave for the parent of a child who dies as a result of a probable Criminal Code offence.

More information, including how to qualify for these types of parental leave, can be found in the backgrounder below.

The Federal Government recently implemented two new monetary benefits to assist working parents. One provides employment insurance benefits to a parent providing care or support to his or her critically ill child, and the other provides a taxable grant to a parent of a child who has disappeared or died as a result of a probable Criminal Code offence.

“Establishing complementary unpaid leaves under the Labour Standards Act provides job protection to working parents in this province and facilitates their access to the federal monetary benefits. These new leaves are an important step forward in promoting healthy and strong families in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as supporting victims of crime.”
- Minister King

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to supporting important social programs, strong communities and the health and well-being of children, families and seniors.

QUICK FACTS

• Today the Provincial Government introduced amendments to the Labour Standards Act that help ensure that the jobs of parents are protected as they take leave to focus on their families in times of trying circumstances
• The parent of a critically ill child will be able to avail of up to 37 weeks of leave to provide care or support to that child.
• The parent of a child who disappears or dies as a result of a probable Criminal Code offence will be able to take up to 52 weeks or 104 weeks of leave respectively.
• Establishing these new leaves for parents will facilitate access to federal monetary benefits and ensure that the parents’ jobs are protected.

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Media contact:
Luke Joyce
Director of Communications
Department of Justice
709-729-6985, 725-4165
lukejoyce@gov.nl.ca 

BACKGROUNDER
Critically Ill Child Care Leave and Crime-Related Child Death or Disappearance Leave

For information on how to qualify for the two new job-protected, unpaid leaves of absence under the Labour Standards Act, please see below.

• There are several qualifying conditions common to both proposed leaves under the Labour Standards Act. An employee must be employed with the same employer for at least 30 days and must provide at least two weeks’ written notice to the employer of his or her intention to access the leave, unless there is a valid reason why notice cannot be given.
• For critically ill child care leave, an employee must be the parent of a critically ill child and provide care or support to that child. A critically ill child is defined in relation to regulations made under the federal Employment Insurance Act, and is a person under the age of 18 whose baseline state of health has significantly changed and whose life is at risk as a result of an illness or injury. The employee must also provide the employer with a copy of a physician certificate as soon as possible, which must: (a) state that the child is a critically ill child and requires the care or support of the employee; and (b) set out the period during which the child requires that care or support.
• For crime-related child death or disappearance leave, an employee must be the parent of a child who has disappeared or died and it is probable, considering the circumstances, that the child disappeared or died as a result of a crime. The child in question must be under 18 years of age, and the employee must provide the employer with reasonable verification of the necessity of the leave as soon as possible.

2013 12 02                                     3:05 p.m.