Employer obligations for the October 21 federal election
With the federal election coming up next week on October 21, 2019, it is a good time for a reminder of the employer obligations under the Canada Elections Act.
Employees who are eligible to vote (Canadian citizens who are 18 years of age or older) are entitled to have three consecutive hours while the polls are open in order to do so. Whether an employer is required to allow an employee time off from work to vote depends on the employee’s scheduled working hours and the available polling hours (which vary by region). Where an employer is required to allow such time off from work, it gets to choose the hours.
For example, let’s assume the available polling hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. If the employee is scheduled to work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., then the employer is not required to provide time off. The employee has (more than) three consecutive hours to vote after work. However, if the employee is scheduled to work from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., then the employer is required to allow the employee additional time off such that the employee has three consecutive hours to vote. In that example, the employer could allow the employee to leave early at 5:30 p.m.
Where an employee is entitled to time off to vote in the federal election, the employer is not permitted to make a deduction from their pay or impose a penalty for that time. This means that the time off to vote must be paid as if the employee worked their full scheduled hours that day.
Finally, please note that there is an exception for employees of certain transportation companies who are employed outside of their polling division in the operation of a means of transportation, if the additional time off cannot be allowed without interfering with the transportation service.
This update is intended for general information only. Should you have questions on the above, please contact a member of our Labour & Employment group.
Click here to subscribe to Stewart McKelvey Thought Leadership.
Archive
The integrity of the jury system has become a pressing topic for our courts of late, with articles about jury duty frequently appearing front and centre in the press. The recent message from the Nova…
Read MoreIN THIS ISSUE: Cloud computing: House to navigate risky skies by Daniela Bassan and Michelle Chai Growing a startup by Clarence Bennett, Twila Reid and Nicholas Russon Knowing the lay of the land – Aboriginal rights and land claims in Labrador by Colm St. Roch Seviour and Steve Scruton Download…
Read MoreDOES IT APPLY TO YOU? On June 1, 2013, the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) comes into force in Nova Scotia. If you are involved in health care in Nova Scotia, you need to know whether PHIA…
Read MoreEDITOR’S COMMENT This edition of Atlantic Employers’ Counsel focuses on key areas of employment standards in Atlantic Canada. Employment standards legislation outlines the rights and obligations of employees and requirements that apply to employers in…
Read MoreNEW TORT OF CYBERBULLYING On May 10, 2013 the Nova Scotia legislature passed the Cyber-safety Act (Bill 61). When this bill comes into force, it will give rise to a new tort of cyberbullying that…
Read MoreGOVERNMENT ACTION In the Economic Action Plan 2010, the Harper Government committed to bring greater clarity to how mortgage prepayment penalties were calculated. As part of the commitment, on February 26, 2013 the government released…
Read MoreSTEWART MCKELVEY WELCOMES BACK WANDA DOIRON AS MANAGER, CORPORATE SERVICES – NOVA SCOTIA You might remember Wanda from her time in our Corporate Services group from 2002 to 2008. Since then, she has worked in-house…
Read MoreREASONABLE PEOPLE DOING QUESTIONABLE THINGS: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND JUST CAUSE Can a unionized employee moonlight in his off hours to earn some extra money by doing the same work he does for his daytime…
Read MoreStewart McKelvey’s Vision Improving Legal Analysis (SVILA*) is an e-discovery project and litigation management tool. For more information on our e-discovery services, download the SVILA e-discovery document.
Read MoreIN THIS ISSUE: A New Brunswick business lawyer’s perspective by Peter Klohn Why Canada’s immigration rules matter to your business by Andrea Baldwin Financing Energy Projects during the Project Lifecycle by Lydia Bugden, Colm St. Roch Seviour and Tauna Staniland Download…
Read More