Prince Albert Sask. Party MLA's Joe Hargrave and Alana Ross. (Saskatchewan Party)

By Ian Gustafson

Provincial Politics

P.A. MLA’s explain Sask. Party’s decision to vote against bill for paid sick leave

May 13, 2022 | 6:03 PM

Prince Albert Carlton MLA Joe Hargrave and Prince Albert Northcote MLA Alana Ross have explained the Saskatchewan Party’s decision to vote against an NDP bill that would have provided 10 days of paid sick leave for workers in the province.

On Thursday MLA’s voted 39-10 against the bill that was introduced by Saskatoon-University MLA and Critic for Labour, Jennifer Bowes. All of the Sask. Party MLA’s in attendance went against the bill and all NDP members voted for it.

Hargrave told paNOW he did not vote as he was the acting speaker but said if he had voted, he would go against the bill. However Ross said she did vote against it. Both P.A. MLA’s gave similar reasons as to why the Sask. Party went against it with the main reason being small businesses.

“It’s about business and putting an additional burden on some businesses of 10 days of paid sick leave,” Hargrave said. “There’s businesses that have been suffering, especially this past two years and are just sort of starting to come out of it… The federal government had great programs through COVID that helped out if people were ill and had to take time off for whatever reason.”

He added the majority of employers in the province already offer paid sick leave, but for small businesses it just wasn’t the time. It adds an additional cost amid rising inflation for business owners and the paid sick leave could potentially hurt the business.

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“The government just announced we’re doing an increase to the minimum wage so that it will increase up to $15 an hour over the next couple of years and we’re working with employers to see what we can do to help them with their employees to help them out with this,” Hargrave explained, adding now is not the time to force employers to pay sick leave.

Ross echoed Hargrave’s statements saying the timing was just not right coming out of the pandemic.

“A lot of our businesses, especially our very small businesses have really been struggling through this and it didn’t seem right to impose that additional expense on the business at this time,” Ross said.

She added through talking with local business owners she found very few owners who didn’t already have sick leave implemented for their employees. They’re also having difficulty finding employees and many are paying wages significantly above minimum wage.

“I talked to a couple [businesses] who don’t and they’re very small businesses just starting up and just felt they’re having difficulties getting supplies. Everything is going up as you know, and they just felt at this time their business would not be able to be viable,” Ross said.

For Bowes, the arguments around minimum wage don’t hold water.

“Of course, raising minimum wages is a positive development…but there’s other benefits that should be fundamental components of decent work for all people, including paid sick leave,” said Bowes.

Bowes said more than half of workers in Saskatchewan don’t have paid sick days, which is many more than are making minimum wage.

Meanwhile the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour president Lori Johb said the Sask. Party voting against it is disappointing but not surprising.

“Throughout the pandemic, the Sask. Party government has shown a total lack of respect for workers — from failing to provide proper PPE in workplaces, overwhelming our hospitals and forcing health care workers to work with unsafe staffing levels, to refusing to give wage top-ups to all frontline workers. The Sask. Party voting against legislation for paid sick leave today is yet another blow to the working people in this province who have put their health and safety at risk to keep our province running throughout the pandemic,” Johb said in a media release.

Despite the decision by the provinces MLA’s, Johb said they will continue to fight for paid sick leave for all workers in the province.

“Too many workers in Saskatchewan don’t have access to paid sick leave and are faced with no choice but to either go to work sick or miss out on their paycheque,” Johb said. “Paid sick leave will go a long way towards ensuring safer and healthier workplaces and make life better for thousands of working people across the province. If the Sask. Party won’t support paid sick leave, then Saskatchewan’s labour movement will work to elect a government that will.”

– With files from CJME News

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Ian.Gustafson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @IanGustafson12