More Paid Vacation Time Needed - Justified

Labour Congress calls for a national minimum of three weeks paid vacation.

A new report released by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) confirms what most working people in Canada have long suspected. Canadians give more of their waking hours to their employers than workers in most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.

While less discussed than wage and income inequality, there are huge differences among working people in terms of access to paid time off the job within Canada - mostly depending on their province of residence. CLC President Ken Georgetti says it's time for a change.

"The 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 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."

Georgetti says it's time for the federal and provincial governments to move to a new national legal minimum of ten 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. 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 by Professor Harry Arthurs endorsed an increase in paid vacation time in the federal sector. The latest report details the rights workers have to paid holidays by province and in Canada as compared to other OECD countries. More details are provided on the Canadian Labour Congress web site.