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e-2659 (Social affairs and equality)
- Keywords
- Canada Emergency Response Benefit
- COVID-19
- Pandemic
- Termination of employment
- Workplace health and safety
Original language of petition: English
Petition to the House of Commons
- The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) eligibility requirement that workers not quit their job voluntarily means workers are obligated to return to work if their workplaces re-open;
- Many provinces are seeking to expand the list of businesses that can re-open, including businesses where workers and consumers cannot physically distance;
- Many frontline workers at such businesses may not feel safe returning to work at the present, due to being personally at-risk for complications of COVID-19 or caring for someone who is;
- Those with concerns about their exposure to COVID-19 at their workplace will be left with no choice but to return to work, putting their health as well as the health of their families in jeopardy; and
- This stipulation is unethical, as it jeopardizes the lives of those workers who are most vulnerable and provides a harmful incentive that can hurt businesses and undermine public health efforts.
Response by the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion
Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): IREK KUSMIERCZYK
The Government of Canada thanks the petitioners for sharing their views on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and recognizes their request to amend the program criteria. The Government acknowledges the concerns that some workers may have related to COVID-19 as they return to work and that each individual case is unique.
The CERB responds to a broad range of situations that may require a person to stop working. For example:
• a worker who has lost their job;
• a worker who is in quarantine or sick due to COVID-19;
• a worker who is taking care of others because they are in quarantine or sick due to COVID-19; and/or
• a worker who is taking care of children or other dependents because their school or care facility is closed due to COVID-19.
There are many other reasons related to COVID-19 beyond these examples for which a worker may have stopped working. However, a worker cannot voluntarily quit their job.
As the economy gradually opens, the Government of Canada encourages workers who are able to return to work to do so, provided it is reasonable based on their individual circumstances. Workers who are able to work are also encouraged to consult the tools available through Job Bank, Canada’s national employment service, to help with their job search.
If a worker is concerned about the safety of their working conditions, they should discuss the situation with their employer.
• If they work in a federally-regulated workplace, they may wish to consult their workplace health and safety committee or health and safety representative as well as the document “right to refuse dangerous work” at https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/health-safety/reports/right-refuse.html
• Otherwise, they may wish to consult the website for the department of labour in their province or territory for further information on their rights and the process that they should follow.
- Open for signature
- June 10, 2020, at 9:01 a.m. (EDT)
- Closed for signature
- July 10, 2020, at 9:01 a.m. (EDT)
- Presented to the House of Commons
-
Heather McPherson
(Edmonton Strathcona)
July 21, 2020 (Petition No. 431-00300) - Government response tabled
- September 24, 2020
