The Ontario government is introducing new legislation aimed at ensuring military reservists who are training or deployed cannot be fired while in service of their country.
Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, made the announcement Friday in Windsor.
He says the Working for Workers Act 2 would expand our job-protected reservist leave to cover time away for training and also cut the time reservists have to hold their job, prior, in half.
If passed, this change would expand job-protected leave for reservists who are deployed or need to participate in military training, which often requires time off their day job.
It would also make the leave available after three months of continuous employment - down from the current requirement of six months.
"These changes if passed will make it easier for reservists to serve their country, no matter how long they've been on the job," says McNaughton. "We're cutting unnecessary burdens to give our frontline heroes peace of mind."
He says they have been working on this for awhile.
"We owe our reservists and the dedicated men and women in uniform to make this change," says McNaughton. "We want to ensure jobs are protected when people take up the call of duty and fight for freedom or serve our communities during emergencies."
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Armed Forces is experiencing shortages of reservists and troops, putting a heavier burden on current reservists and military operations.