Chamber
pei
Stage
Introduced
This PEI bill removes the requirement for employees to provide a doctor's note when taking sick leave.
Key Changes
- Employers in PEI would no longer be allowed to require a doctor's note when an employee requests sick leave
- A new subsection explicitly prohibiting the demand for medical certificates is added to the Employment Standards Act
- A reference to the old subsection about medical certificates is removed from another part of the Act
Gotchas
- The bill does not specify any alternative verification methods employers may use, which could raise questions about how employers manage sick leave abuse
- Removing the doctor's note requirement may reduce the administrative burden and cost on employees, but employers lose a tool previously used to verify absences
- The bill applies specifically to leaves of absence under section 22.2 of the Act; it is unclear whether other types of leave under different sections are affected
- As a private member's bill introduced by the third party, its likelihood of passing depends on support from the governing party
Who's Affected
- All employees in Prince Edward Island covered by the Employment Standards Act
- Employers and businesses operating in PEI
- Healthcare providers who currently issue medical notes for workplace purposes
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The bill does not specify any alternative verification methods employers may use, which could raise questions about how employers manage sick leave abuse
- Removing the doctor's note requirement may reduce the administrative burden and cost on employees, but employers lose a tool previously used to verify absences
- The bill applies specifically to leaves of absence under section 22.2 of the Act; it is unclear whether other types of leave under different sections are affected
- As a private member's bill introduced by the third party, its likelihood of passing depends on support from the governing party
Summary
This bill amends Prince Edward Island's Employment Standards Act to eliminate the ability of employers to demand a medical certificate from a doctor when an employee requests a leave of absence due to illness or injury. Currently, employers can ask workers to prove they were sick by getting a signed note from a medical practitioner. This bill would make that practice illegal. The bill was introduced as a private member's bill by Matthew MacFarlane, Leader of the Third Party, in the 2026 legislative session. It targets a specific section of the existing law (section 22.2) and replaces the old subsection dealing with medical certificates with a new one that explicitly prohibits employers from requiring such documentation. This type of change is intended to reduce barriers for workers taking legitimate sick leave, particularly those who may have difficulty accessing a doctor quickly or who face costs associated with obtaining a medical note.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses