Volume 22 • No. 4 • February 16 - 28, 2026 Publication Mailing Account #41721512
Kathryn Bernardo
Limitations on sick notes
Left to right: Ron Gauthier, CEO, Chartered Professionals in Human Resources Manitoba; Keir Johnson, Doctors Manitoba, Director, Strategy, Advocacy and Communications; Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino; Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara; and Dr. Nichelle Desilets, president, Doctors Manitoba by Malaya Marcelino, Manitoba Minister of Labour and Immigration
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Editor’s Note: The Pilipino Express invited Minister Malaya Marcelino to write about the proposed sick note legislation because of its potential impact on workers and employers across Manitoba. This spring, our NDP government will introduce legislation that will limit the use of sick notes in the workplace. Sick notes are doctor’s notes that workers are required to provide to employers to prove that they were absent from work because they experienced a short-term illness, such as flu. For years, workers and doctors across Manitoba have advocated for the elimination of sick notes. The Doctors Manitoba organization gathered evidence
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that shows 600,000 sick notes are requested each year in Manitoba. A third of the time, patients no longer have symptoms to verify by the time they see their doctors. These unnecessary medical appointments cost taxpayers $8 million per year. Doctors Manitoba estimate that eliminating sick notes will free up doctors’ time to see the equivalent of 300,000 patient visits per year. Our government’s top priority is to fix health care, and freeing up doctors’ time to see more patients will help achieve our healthcare goals. As labour minister, I asked employers and workers to reach a consensus on recommendations to the province regarding rules that would limit the use of sick notes. The Labour Management Review Committee (LMRC) includes over five hundred organizations representing employers and workers
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including: Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Retail Council of Canada, Manitoba Federation of Labour, Manitoba Building Trades, Canadian Union of Public Employees and many more. Together, they reached many consensus recommendations regarding sick note policy for the government to consider in drafting upcoming legislation. They recommended that sick notes should be prohibited for absences of up to seven consecutive calendar days (or less), or absences fewer than 10 cumulative workdays in a calendar year. After this, an employer should have the option to request a sick note. They also recommended that medical certificates should still be required for long term leaves (e.g. parental leave) and for medical See SICK NOTES p13
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