New Quebec law allows workers up to 3 sick days without a doctor’s note
Posted January 3, 2025 9:37 am.
Last Updated January 3, 2025 9:45 am.
Quebec employees will now be able to take up to three sick days without being required to provide a doctor’s note.
The new legislation aims to reduce doctors’ workloads by eliminating unnecessary paperwork and clinical visits to get a note, freeing them up for more important healthcare visits.
Many doctors say that they spend on average half a day each week on paperwork and any measures that would help reduce that is a step in the right direction.
Quebec doctors have long asked for this change and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has urged employers to stop requiring sick notes.
The CMA says these unnecessary visits are a burden on an already overburdened healthcare system, reduce access to doctors, and increase wait times for more urgent issues.
A recent poll showed that 82 per cent of employed Canadians would likely go to work ill rather than obtain a sick note from a healthcare provider, which increases the risk of spreading infections at their place of employment.
The CMA recently estimated that eliminating the requirement could prevent as many as 12.5 million unnecessary medical visits annually.
About a quarter of Quebecers currently don’t have a family doctor.
