New Brunswick Union wants paid leave for domestic abuse victims

The New Brunswick Union wants the province to implement paid leave for those fleeing domestic abuse.

The government of Manitoba recently passed a bill requiring employees to provide five days of paid and unpaid leave to victims of abuse.

"I can't believe that nobody has come forward to adopt such a law in any of the provinces ... I think it's something that should have been recognized a long time ago," said New Brunswick Union President Susie Proulx-Daigle.

Information Morning - Saint John5:18NB Union seeks domestic violence bill

New Brunswick Union president, Susie Proulx-Daigle is pressuring the government to pass a law on domestic violence similar to Manitoba's.

The bill is the first its kind in Canada and states that  an employee who is a victim of domestic violence is entitled to  leave of up to 10 days, as well as leave of up to 17 weeks to be taken in one continuous period.

Employees are entitled to five days of paid leave within a year.

"It should be a basic right to get up in the morning and feel safe ... whether a woman, man or child you should be free of violence," said Proulx-Daigle.

Proulx-Daigle said she would like to see a similar bill passed in the province because it will alleviate extra stress on victims.

"They are penalized if they miss work. Today we know that 40 per cent that it makes them late or miss work ... about 9 per cent of people say it got them fired."

She also said that the province has the highest rate of police-reported domestic abuse cases east of Manitoba.

"I think it really highlights there is an issue here. We should be making life easier. They already have a difficult decision to make when it comes to the point to leave an abusive situation."