The federal government is rejecting an offer from the province to increase the amount of money workers can get from the federal Canada Sickness Recovery Benefit (CRSB).
In a letter to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy offered to cover the cost of doubling CRSB payments from $500 to $1,000 for four weeks of paid sick days.
A spokesperson for Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the federal wage subsidy is set up to provide employers with financial support to cover the wages of workers on sick leave, and the CRSB is there to help Canadians who don't have a regular employer or live in a province that has offered paid sick leave.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has weighed in, saying that provinces need to find a way to deliver sick leave directly through employers.
The province has faced criticism from opposition parties for not enacting paid sick leave, with the NDP suggesting a provincial paid sick leave policy would result in more lives being saved.
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