2021 Update on Vaccination Mandates and EI Eligibility
October 20, 2021
Click here to see original update from Canada’s Building Trades Unions
This week, Service Canada updated their website to account for the situation around vaccination requirements in workplaces. See pertinent information below:
Employees
COVID-19 vaccination
In most cases, if you lose or quit your job because you didn’t comply with your employer’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, you won’t be eligible for EI regular benefits. To determine if you’re eligible, Service Canada may contact you to obtain information such as:
- if your employer clearly communicated a mandatory COVID‑19 vaccination policy to you
- if you were informed that not complying with the policy would result in you losing your employment
- if applying the policy to you was reasonable within your workplace context
- if you have a valid reason for not complying with the policy and your employer didn’t provide you an exemption
Service Canada will use the facts provided by you and your employer to determine if you’re entitled to benefits.
EI regular benefits: Do you qualify
EI Regular Benefits – Do you qualify – Canada.ca
Assurance-emploi et prestations régulières – Êtes-vous admissible – Canada.ca
Employers
COVID-19 vaccination
When the employee doesn’t report to work because they refuse to comply with your mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, use code E (quit) or code N (leave of absence).
When you suspend or terminate an employee for not complying with your mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, use code M (dismissal).
If you use these codes, we may contact you to determine:
- if you had adopted and clearly communicated to all employees a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy
- if the employees were informed that failure to comply with the policy would result in loss of employment
- if the application of the policy to the employee was reasonable within the workplace context
- if there were any exemptions for refusing to comply with the policy
Information for employers – EI and COVID-19
EI information for employers – COVID-19 – Canada.ca
Renseignements sur l’assurance-emploi pour les employeurs – COVID-19 – Canada.ca
CBTU has teamed up with Faster Together, a coalition of organizations that are encouraging Canadians to get their vaccine so we can get back together, faster. For resources, go to https://resources.fastertogether.ca. Share fastertogether.ca with your members for easy access on where to get a vaccine.