PEI's finance minister said he supports considering whether to change the province's requirement for government employees to submit a medical complaint when they miss work due to illness.
But Finance Minister Jill Burridge said on Tuesday she believed getting rid of banknotes altogether was not the best solution.
This follows a question asked by Green MLA Matt MacFarlane on Tuesday when he raised the issue in parliament for the second day in a row. This time, he talked about voters who needed a doctor's note and visited several clinics with their sick children to get one.
MacFarlane said the voters in question work for the P.E.I. government itself, which is the province's largest employer.
“Last year she had the flu and took a few days off at that time,” he said. “As often happens, her young child also came down with the same flu. After five days, the payroll department called in sick.”
Ms McFarlane went on to say the mother had “no choice” but to take her sick child to five walk-in clinics over three days in hopes of “finding a piece of paper”.
“Are you in favor of removing medical conditions from the Employment Standards Act?'' he asked the Minister.
Mr Burridge, who is also the minister responsible for the Public Service Commission, said he would “absolutely” look into it.
“As a mother, I can understand that situation,” Ms Burridge said, “and I would never want to see anyone go through that.
“I promised to look into this, absolutely.”
Minister says 'balance' is needed
But after Tuesday's question period, Burridge said stopping employers from requiring medical conditions is not the solution. Instead, she suggested that such a medical certificate would allow employers to confirm that a worker is actually sick.
She said the state could strike a better “balance” between allowing it and the demands it places on its health care system.
“I don't think just wiping it down is the best solution,” she says. “In certain circumstances, there are requirements for that.
“I don't think it's responsible for making the symptoms of the disease go away.”
“Notes put a strain on the system.”
Eliminating the need for sick notes is something that many Canadian healthcare professionals have been seeking for years.
In Nova Scotia, employees are no longer required to submit a medical condition in many cases. A spokesperson for the province previously said Nova Scotia doctors spend an estimated 50,000 hours a year writing medical certificates for employees.
MacFarlane also asked about his medical condition during question period last Friday.
In that exchange, he was told by PEI Health Minister Mark McClain that he supports changes to the Employment Standards Act that would remove employers' ability to require a doctor's note from workers who have missed three consecutive days due to illness. I got confirmation.
PEI Health Minister Mark McClain still supports repealing the medical condition, but says a balance could be found by talking to employers about their needs. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)
On Tuesday, McClain reiterated to CBC News that he still supports eliminating the condition. He also said he heard over the weekend from his employers concerned that the province would take such a step, and, like Burridge, said there could be a “balance” in the process.
“Maybe it's time to have a discussion about whether three days is appropriate,” McClain said. “Should I extend it?”
But ultimately the health minister said he supported the move to free up medical resources.
“Whatever the reason, you don't want sick people coming into the doctor's office unnecessarily,” he said. “especially [with] Anything that can be infected.
“We want health care providers to provide care, not provide paperwork.”
The Employment Standards Act allows employers to require workers to submit a medical report after being sick for three consecutive days, but it is up to individual employers to decide whether to implement such a policy. There is.
According to state law, “an employer may require an employee to submit a statement signed by a physician certifying that the employee is unable or unable to work due to illness or injury. ”.
Finance Minister Jill Burridge said she was committed to considering legislation on sick notes. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)
New union contract could change rules
Regarding the PEI government requiring its workers to submit medical conditions, Burridge said one way to achieve change is to talk to the PEI public servant union.
The union's civil service agreement, which expires next year, won't necessarily eliminate the condition entirely, but would provide a good basis for negotiations aimed at finding a better balance of requirements, she said.
“This is a great opportunity to take a hard look at this and talk to the members of that union and their leadership and find out what they think about it,” Burridge said.
