Lay-Off Time Periods For Federal Workers Extended Under The Canada Labour Code

The Federal Government has announced that time periods under the deemed termination provision of the Canada Labour Standards Regulations (the "Regulations") have been temporarily extended, effective June 22, 2020. 

Many employers, including those in the federal sector, have had to make the difficult decision to lay-off employees in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the regulatory amendments announced this week, under paragraph 30 of the Regulations, an employee would not be deemed terminated from their employment when the lay-off was: (i) less than three months, or (ii) less than six months, provided the employer notified the employee in writing of the employee's recall date at or before the lay-off took effect.