The Mississauga News
March 3, 2007
Craig MacBride

Mississauga-Erindale MP Omar Alghabra has tabled his first private member’s bill since being elected in January 2006, and he’s using the opportunity to try to extend unpaid sick leave for workers. 

If passed, Bill C-409 – An Act to Amend the Canada Labour Code – will extend unpaid sick leave from 12 to 52 weeks. Alghabra tabled the bill on Thursday. 

Currently, if an employee falls ill, their employer needs only to secure their job for 12 weeks. The bill would only cover industries that fall under the federal labour code. Industries are split between federal and provincial spheres, depending on what they do. 

“It wouldn’t cost the government any money; it doesn’t have an impact on employers because it doesn’t say you need to pay them, you just have to hold their spot,” said Alghabra. “It’s to give some safety net to people so they can concentrate on their illness and not worry about losing their job.” 

Alghabra decided to take up the cause when a constituent complained that she lost her job after surviving breast cancer. 

Alghabra was surprised to find that many workers aren’t protected when they leave work with a serious illness. 

“I was shocked when I heard it was only 12 weeks,” said Alghabra. “I did the research and found out she was right. Companies that don’t have benefit packages, all they have is the labour code.” 

The chance of Alghabra’s bill being debated on the floor of the House of Commons is slim, but he hopes to find a way to speed up the process. 

At the beginning of the term, a lottery took place to determine in what order private members’ bills came up for discussion. 

Alghabra has time to wait. 

His number could come up, he said, “if Parliament sits for two more years.” 

It’s unlikely, with a minority government, that it will, and rumours have an election coming as soon as May. Regardless, Alghabra thinks tabling his bill will raise the profile of the cause. 

“I’m hopefully making a statement,” he said. “Hopefully, the government adopts it and maybe the provinces adopt it.” 

“There is a deficiency and somebody has to remedy it.”