When an employee in Canada becomes ill, an employer often provides sick leave for the employee to recuperate. Many employees are left with the choice of coming to work sick or taking unpaid leave, as not all provinces mandate paid sick leave. Employee entitlement to sick leave varies by federal or provincial employment standards. Those in federally regulated workplaces follow federal standards, while all others follow provincial employment standards.
Provincial laws do not require unused sick leave days to be carried over to a new calendar year. However, in federally regulated workplaces, any unused sick days not taken will be carried over to the beginning of the new year, up to the maximum of ten days that can be earned during the year.
Recent legislative changes have also begun to prohibit an employer from requesting a doctor’s note from an employee to justify the need for a short-term absence.
Below is a roundup of where provincial and federal labor standards currently stand on providing paid and unpaid sick leave and whether an employer is permitted to ask the employee for a sick note or medical certificate from a doctor.
Sick Leave: After at least 90 days of employment with the same employer, employees are entitled to five days of unpaid family and personal responsibility leave in a calendar year for health issues or family needs.
Sick Notes: Alberta employment standards legislation does not prohibit an employer from requesting medical notes, as long as the requests are reasonable.
Sick Leave: After 90 days of employment, employees may take up to five paid days and three unpaid days of job-protected illness or injury leave per calendar year.
Sick Notes: As of November 12, 2025, employers cannot request a medical note from a health practitioner in relation to a health-related leave if the leave is for a worker’s first two absences of five consecutive days or less in any given calendar year. Employers may still request medical documentation if it is necessary to assess the employee’s fitness to return to work or any accommodations that may be necessary for their return to work.
Sick Leave: After 30 days of employment with the same employer, employees are entitled to three unpaid days of family leave per year, which can be taken to deal with a personal illness or needs of a family member.
Sick Notes: Manitoba does not have legislation preventing the request for sick notes. Reasonable verification will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Sick Leave: After 90 days of employment with the same employer, an employee is entitled to up to five days of unpaid sick leave during a 12-month period.
Sick Notes: When an employee, due to an illness or injury, requests a leave of absence of four or more consecutive days, an employer can require the employee to provide a medical certificate certifying they are not able to work due to illness or injury.
Sick Leave: After 30 consecutive days of employment with the same employer, an employee is entitled to seven unpaid days of sick or family responsibility leave per year.
Sick Notes: Employers are restricted from requiring sick notes until after three consecutive days, at which time the employee shall provide their employer with a statement, in writing, of the nature of the family responsibility.
Sick Leave: An employee is entitled to up to five days of unpaid leave per year due to their own illness or injury.
Sick Notes: Employers cannot request a sick note unless an employee is absent for more than five consecutive working days or has already had at least two nonconsecutive absences of five or fewer working days due to their own illness or injury in the preceding 12-month period.
Sick Leave: After 30 days of employment with the same employer, an employee can take up to five days of unpaid sick leave during a 12-month period.
Sick Notes: An employer can ask for a medical certificate if the sick leave is more than three days.
Sick Leave: After at least two consecutive weeks of employment with the same employer, an employee is entitled to up to three days of unpaid sick leave per calendar year due to personal illness, injury or medical emergency.
Sick Notes: Employers are prohibited from requiring doctors’ notes for the first three days of Employment Standards Act–protected sick leave annually, but there are situations where an employer may reasonably request a note including situations involving prolonged absences, workplace accommodations and return to work.
Sick Leave: After three months of continuous employment with the same employer, an employee is entitled to up to three days of unpaid sick leave during a 12-month period. In addition to the unpaid leave available to employees:
- After 12 months of employment, an employee is entitled to one paid sick day, plus three unpaid days.
- After 24 months, an employee is entitled to two paid days, plus three unpaid days of leave.
- After 36 months of employment, an employee is entitled to three paid days of sick leave.
Sick Notes: Employers are prohibited from requesting a medical certificate until after three consecutive days of sick leave.
Sick Leave: After three months of consecutive employment with the same employer, an employee is entitled to two days of paid sick leave per calendar year due to a non-work-related accident or illness.
Sick Notes: As of January 1, 2025, employers are prohibited from requiring an employee to provide a medical note for the first three periods of absence of three consecutive days or less taken annually.
Sick Leave: After 13 consecutive weeks of employment, employees are entitled to unpaid, job-protected sick leave of up to 12 days per year for nonserious illnesses.
Sick Notes: Beginning January 1, 2026, an employer can no longer request a sick note for statutory illness or injury leave unless the employee is absent for more than five consecutive working days, or the employee has had nonconsecutive absences of two or more working days due to sickness or injury in the preceding 12 months.
Sick Leave: Under Yukon’s Employment Standards Act, an employee is entitled to one unpaid day of sick leave for every month they have worked, up to a maximum of 12 days. Yukon also has the Paid Sick Leave Rebate program (available until March 31, 2026), a government-funded program providing workers with up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per program year.
Sick Notes: Under employment standards, an employer may require that the employee submit a certificate from a qualified medical practitioner or nurse practitioner. Under the Paid Sick Leave Rebate Program, an employee must submit their application and supporting documentation within 30 days of the sick leave period they are claiming for.
Sick Leave: After 30 days of continuous employment, employees in federally regulated workplaces will earn three days of paid medical leave. Then, after each month of continuous employment that they complete, employees will earn one additional day of paid medical leave up to a maximum of ten days per year.
Sick Notes: Employers cannot request a sick note issued by a health care practitioner until an employee is absent for more than five consecutive working days.
For the latest information on paid sick leave in Canada, see the International Foundation’s Paid Sick Leave (Canada) webpage.
Developed by International Foundation Information Center staff. This does not constitute legal advice. Please consult your plan professionals for legal advice.
