The Saskatchewan NDP is once again calling on the government to implement legislation providing victims of domestic violence receive up to five paid days off of work when getting out of an abusive relationship.
The call comes after the federal government announced its intentions to provide similar coverage to its more than 900,000 employees.
"It's very important that those who are leaving instances of domestic abuse can do so and be able to maintain their level of pay so they can live on their own without having to move back to what is a dangerous home situation for them" NDP Justice Critic, Nicole Sarauer said. “Five days is important because it provides that measure of security and at least catches us up to what other provinces and now the federal government are doing.”
Many provinces, such as Manitoba and Ontario, have already passed legislation, while many others are in the process of doing so.
According to Crystal Giesbrecht of the Provincial association of Transition Houses and Services, Saskatchewan is among the worst in the country for domestic violence.
“In Saskatchewan, here we have the highest rate of intimate partner among the provinces, the territories have a higher rate, but given how serious the situation is here in Saskatchewan and how many people are experiencing intimate partner violence, we really should be a leader when it comes to putting legislation in place" Giesbrecht told CTV, stating the legislation passed in December forcing employers to provide up to 10 days of unpaid leave is a good start.
Justice Minister Don Morgan did not commit to the idea of following the lead of others provincial governments, but didn’t dismiss it.
“We haven't had a careful look of how much uptake there has been on the usage of the time off, and what we are hearing form the people who did use it so it's something we think it's appropriate to do more of an ongoing review and deeper analysis," he said.
It’s unknown when the recommendation will be revisited.
