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TORONTO – A national group of doctors is worried about the Ontario government's decision to allow employers to require workers to provide a note to the physician explaining even minor illnesses, such as colds .
Dr. Gigi Osler, President of the Canadian Medical Association, said the measure – included in the government's Bill 47 – could cause public health problems, as it would cause patients to go to the doctor or work rather than stay at home.
The AMC has released the results of an online survey that it commissioned to evaluate the opinion on the issue.
The survey, conducted by Ipsos, suggests that a majority of Canadian workers oppose the idea of allowing employers to require sickness notes for minor illnesses.
The survey also revealed that eight out of ten Ontarians who responded to the survey said they would be likely to work if they were sick if their employer needed a medical note.
According to Ipsos, the online survey was conducted among 1,134 Canadian workers over the age of 18 and the results obtained are accurate to less than 3.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
"Requiring sick notes can pose unnecessary risks to public health, and patients who may otherwise have been at home could carry a virus or infection while looking for a sickness note," Osler said in a statement released by the government. AMC Friday morning.
She added that legislation also imposes an unfair burden on the public – and doctors.
"For doctors, writing a sick note is extra administrative work – time that should be spent on direct patient care," Osler said in his release.
The previous Liberal government had amended the province's Employment Standards Act to prohibit employers from requiring a doctor's note for a "personal emergency leave," which includes an illness or injury.
Among other measures, the Open Ontario Progressive Conservative Business Act would repeal this provision, allowing employers "to require proof of entitlement to reasonable leave of absence in the circumstances".
The legislation aims to "bring back jobs and investment to our province by easing the burden on businesses and ensuring that hard work is rewarded," the Ministry of Labor said in a statement.
Neither the Ministry of Labor nor the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care responded immediately to a request for comment.
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