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Article 21
Other Leave With or Without Pay

21.01  Volunteer Leave

(a) Subject to operational requirements as determined by the Employer and with an advance notice of at least five (5) working days, the employee shall be granted in each fiscal year a single period of up to seven decimal five (7.5) hours of leave with pay to work as a volunteer for a charitable or community organization or activity, other than for activities related to the Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign.

(b) The leave shall be scheduled at a time convenient to both the employee and the Employer. Nevertheless, the Employer shall make every reasonable effort to grant the leave at such time as the employee may request.

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21.02 Bereavement Leave With Pay

For the purpose of this clause, immediate family is defined as father, mother (or alternatively stepfather, stepmother, or foster parent), brother, sister, spouse (including common-law partner), child (including child of common-law partner), stepchild or ward of the employee, grand-parent, grandchild, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and relative permanently residing in the employee's household or with whom the employee permanently resides.

(a) When a member of the employee's immediate family dies, an employee shall be entitled to a single bereavement period of five (5) consecutive calendar days. Such bereavement period, as determined by the employee, must include the day of the memorial commemorating the deceased or must begin within two (2) days following the death. During such period the employee shall be paid for those days which are not regularly scheduled days of rest for the employee. In addition, the employee may be granted up to three (3) days' leave with pay for the purpose of travel related to the death.

(b) An employee is entitled to one (1) day's bereavement leave with pay for the purpose related to the death of his or her son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

(c) If, during a period of vacation leave, sick leave or compensatory leave, an employee is bereaved in circumstances under which he or she would have been eligible for bereavement leave with pay under paragraph (a) or (b) of this clause, the employee shall be granted bereavement leave with pay and his or her vacation leave, sick leave or compensatory leave credits shall be restored to the extent of any concurrent bereavement leave with pay granted.

(d) It is recognized by the parties that the circumstances which call for leave in respect of bereavement are based on individual circumstances. On request, the deputy head of a department may, after considering the particular circumstances involved, grant leave with pay for a period greater or in a manner other than that provided for in paragraphs 21.02(a) and (b).

21.03 Maternity Leave Without Pay

(a) An employee who becomes pregnant shall, upon request, be granted maternity leave without pay for a period beginning before, on or after the termination date of pregnancy and ending not later than eighteen (18) weeks after the termination date of pregnancy.

(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a):

(i) where the employee has not yet proceeded on maternity leave without pay and her newborn child is hospitalized,

or

(ii) where the employee has proceeded on maternity leave without pay and then returns to work for all or part of the period during which her newborn child is hospitalized,

the period of maternity leave without pay defined in paragraph (a) may be extended beyond the date falling eighteen (18) weeks after the date of termination of pregnancy by a period equal to that portion of the period of the child's hospitalization during which the employee was not on maternity leave, to a maximum of eighteen (18) weeks.

(c) The extension described in paragraph (b) shall end not later than fifty-two (52) weeks after the termination date of pregnancy.

(d) The Employer may require an employee to submit a medical certificate certifying pregnancy.

(e) An employee who has not commenced maternity leave without pay may elect to:

(i) use earned vacation and compensatory leave credits up to and beyond the date that her pregnancy terminates;

(ii) use her sick leave credits up to and beyond the date that her pregnancy terminates, subject to the provisions set out in Article 22 Sick Leave With Pay. For purposes of this subparagraph, the terms "illness" or "injury" used in Article 22 Sick Leave With Pay, shall include medical disability related to pregnancy.

(f) An employee shall inform the Employer in writing of her plans for taking leave with and without pay to cover her absence from work due to the pregnancy at least four (4) weeks in advance of the initial date of continuous leave of absence during which termination of pregnancy is expected to occur unless there is a valid reason why the notice cannot be given.

(g) Leave granted under this clause shall be counted for the calculation of "continuous employment" for the purpose of calculating severance pay and "service" for the purpose of calculating vacation leave. Time spent on such leave shall be counted for pay increment purposes.

21.04 Maternity Allowance

(a) An employee who has been granted maternity leave without pay shall be paid a maternity allowance in accordance with the terms of the Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) Plan described in paragraph (c) to (i), provided that she:

(i) has completed six (6) months of continuous employment before the commencement of her maternity leave without pay,

(ii) provides the Employer with proof that she has applied for and is in receipt of maternity benefits under the Employment Insurance or the Québec Parental Insurance Plan in respect of insurable employment with the Employer,

and

(iii) has signed an agreement with the Employer stating that:

(A) she will return to work on the expiry date of her maternity leave without pay unless the return to work date is modified by the approval of another form of leave;

(B) following her return to work, as described in section (A), she will work for a period equal to the period she was in receipt of maternity allowance;

(C) should she fail to return to work in accordance with section (A), or should she return to work but fail to work for the total period specified in section (B), for reasons other than death, lay-off, early termination due to lack of work or discontinuance of a function of a specified period of employment that would have been sufficient to meet the obligations specified in section (B), or having become disabled as defined in the Public Service Superannuation Act, she will be indebted to the Employer for an amount determined as follows:

Allowance received multiplied by the remaining period to be worked following return to work and divided by the total period to be worked as 

specified in (B).

however, an employee whose specified period of employment expired and who is rehired in any portion of the Core Public Administration as specified in the Public Service Labour Relations Act within a period of ninety (90) days or less is not indebted for the amount if her new period of employment is sufficient to meet the obligations specified in section (B).

(b) For the purpose of sections (a)(iii)(B), and (C), periods of leave with pay shall count as time worked. Periods of leave without pay during the employee's return to work will not be counted as time worked but shall interrupt the period referred to in section (a)(iii)(B), without activating the recovery provisions described in section (a)(iii)(C).

(c) Maternity allowance payments made in accordance with the SUB Plan will consist of the following:

(i) where an employee is subject to a waiting period of two (2) weeks before receiving Employment Insurance maternity benefits, ninety-three per cent (93%) of her weekly rate of pay for each week of the waiting period, less any other monies earned during this period,

and

(ii) for each week that the employee receives a maternity benefit under the Employment Insurance or the Québec Parental Insurance Plan, she is eligible to receive the difference between ninety-three per cent (93%) of her weekly rate of pay and the maternity benefit, less any other monies earned during this period which may result in a decrease in her maternity benefit to which she would have been eligible if no extra monies had been earned during this period.

(d) At the employee's request, the payment referred to in subparagraph 21.04(c)(i) will be estimated and advanced to the employee. Adjustments will be made once the employee provides proof of receipt of Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan maternity benefits.

(e) The maternity allowance to which an employee is entitled is limited to that provided in paragraph (c) and an employee will not be reimbursed for any amount that she may be required to repay pursuant to the Employment Insurance Act or the Parental Insurance Act in Québec.

(f) The weekly rate of pay referred to in paragraph (c) shall be:

(i) for a full-time employee, the employee's weekly rate of pay on the day immediately preceding the commencement of maternity leave without pay,

(ii) for an employee who has been employed on a part-time or on a combined full-time and part-time basis during the six (6) month period preceding the commencement of maternity leave, the rate obtained by multiplying the weekly rate of pay in subparagraph (i) by the fraction obtained by dividing the employee's straight time earnings by the straight time earnings the employee would have earned working full-time during such period.

(g) The weekly rate of pay referred to in paragraph (f) shall be the rate to which the employee is entitled for her substantive level to which she is appointed.

(h) Notwithstanding paragraph (g), and subject to subparagraph (f)(ii), if on the day immediately preceding the commencement of maternity leave without pay an employee has been on an acting assignment for at least four (4) months, the weekly rate shall be the rate she was being paid on that day.

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(i) Where an employee becomes eligible for an upward pay increment or pay revision while in receipt of the maternity allowance, the allowance shall be adjusted accordingly.

(j) Maternity allowance payments made under the SUB Plan will neither reduce nor increase an employee's deferred remuneration or severance pay.

21.05 Special Maternity Allowance for Totally Disabled Employees

(a) An employee who:

(i) fails to satisfy the eligibility requirement specified in subparagraph 21.04(a)(ii) solely because a concurrent entitlement to benefits under the Disability Insurance (DI) Plan, the Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance portion of the Public Service Management Insurance Plan (PSMIP) or the Government Employees Compensation Act prevents her from receiving Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan maternity benefits;

and

(ii) has satisfied all of the other eligibility criteria specified in paragraph 21.04(a), other than those specified in sections (A) and (B) of subparagraph 21.04(a)(iii);

shall be paid, in respect of each week of maternity allowance not received for the reason described in subparagraph 21.05(a)(i), the difference between ninety-three per cent (93%) of her weekly rate of pay, and the gross amount of her weekly disability benefit under the DI Plan, the LTD Plan or via the Government Employees Compensation Act.

(b) An employee shall be paid an allowance under this clause and under clause 21.04 for a combined period of no more than the number of weeks during which she would have been eligible for maternity benefits under the Employment Insurance or the Québec Parental Insurance Plan had she not been disqualified from Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan maternity benefits for the reasons described in subparagraph 21.05(a)(i).

21.06 Parental Leave Without Pay

(a) Where an employee has or will have the actual care and custody of a new-born child (including the new-born child of a common-law partner), the employee shall, upon request, be granted parental leave without pay for a single period of up to thirty-seven (37) consecutive weeks in the fifty-two (52) week period beginning on the day on which the child is born or the day on which the child comes into the employee's care.

(b) Where an employee commences legal proceedings under the laws of a province to adopt a child or obtains an order under the laws of a province for the adoption of a child, the employee shall, upon request, be granted parental leave without pay for a single period of up to thirty-seven (37) consecutive weeks in the fifty-two week (52) period beginning on the day on which the child comes into the employee's care.

(c) Notwithstanding the above, at the option of the employee, the parental leave can be taken in two (2) periods of consecutive weeks, to a maximum of thirty-seven (37) weeks.

(d) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b):

(i) where the employee's child is hospitalized within the period defined in the above paragraphs, and the employee has not yet proceeded on parental leave without pay,

or

(ii) where the employee has proceeded on parental leave without pay and then returns to work for all or part of the period during which his or her child is hospitalized,

the period of parental leave without pay specified in the original leave request may be extended by a period equal to that portion of the period of the child's hospitalization during which the employee was not on parental leave. However, the extension shall end not later than one hundred and four (104) weeks after the day on which the child comes into the employee's care.

(e) An employee who intends to request parental leave without pay shall notify the Employer at least four (4) weeks in advance of the commencement date of such leave.

(f) The Employer may:

(i) defer the commencement of parental leave without pay at the request of the employee;

(ii) grant the employee parental leave without pay with less than four (4) weeks' notice;

(iii) require an employee to submit a birth certificate or proof of adoption of the child.

(g) Leave granted under this clause shall count for the calculation of "continuous employment" for the purpose of calculating severance pay and "service" for the purpose of calculating vacation leave. Time spent on such leave shall count for pay increment purposes.

21.07 Parental Allowance

(a) An employee who has been granted parental leave without pay, shall be paid a parental allowance in accordance with the terms of the Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) Plan described in paragraphs (c) to (i), providing he or she:

(i) has completed six (6) months of continuous employment before the commencement of parental leave without pay,

(ii) provides the Employer with proof that he or she has applied for and is in receipt of parental, paternity or adoption benefits under the Employment Insurance or the Québec Parental Insurance Plan in respect of insurable employment with the Employer,

and

(iii) has signed an agreement with the Employer stating that:

(A) the employee will return to work on the expiry date of his/her parental leave without pay, unless the return to work date is modified by the approval of another form of leave;

(B) following his or her return to work, as described in section (A), the employee will work for a period equal to the period the employee was in receipt of the parental allowance, in addition to the period of time referred to in section 21.04(a)(iii)(B), if applicable;

(C) should he or she fail to return to work in accordance with section (A) or should he or she return to work but fail to work the total period specified in section (B), for reasons other than death, lay-off, early termination due to lack of work or discontinuance of a function of a specified period of employment that would have been sufficient to meet the obligations specified in section (B), or having become disabled as defined in the Public Service Superannuation Act, he or she will be indebted to the Employer for an amount determined as follows:

Allowance received multiplied by the remaining period to be worked following return to work and divided by the total period to be worked as 

specified in (B).

however, an employee whose specified period of employment expired and who is rehired in any portion of the Core Public Administration as specified in the Public Service Labour Relations Act within a period of ninety (90) days or less is not indebted for the amount if his or her new period of employment is sufficient to meet the obligations specified in section (B).

(b) For the purpose of sections (a)(iii)(B), and (C), periods of leave with pay shall count as time worked. Periods of leave without pay during the employee's return to work will not be counted as time worked but shall interrupt the period referred to in section (a)(iii)(B), without activating the recovery provisions described in section (a)(iii)(C).

(c) Parental Allowance payments made in accordance with the SUB Plan will consist of the following:

(i) where an employee is subject to a waiting period of two (2) weeks before receiving Employment Insurance parental benefits, ninety-three per cent (93%) of his/her weekly rate of pay, for each week of the waiting period, less any other monies earned during this period;

(ii) for each week the employee receives parental, adoption or paternity benefits under the Employment Insurance or the Québec Parental Insurance Plan, he or she is eligible to receive the difference between ninety-three per cent (93%) of his or her weekly rate of pay and the parental, adoption or paternity benefit, less any other monies earned during this period which may result in a decrease in his/her parental, adoption or paternity benefit to which he or she would have been eligible if no extra monies had been earned during this period;

(iii) where an employee has received the full eighteen (18) weeks of maternity benefit and the full thirty-two (32) weeks of parental benefit under the Québec Parental Insurance Plan and thereafter remains on parental leave without pay, she is eligible to receive a further parental allowance for a period of two (2) weeks, ninety-three per cent (93%) of her weekly rate of pay for each week, less any other monies earned during this period.

(d) At the employee's request, the payment referred to in subparagraph 21.07(c)(i) will be estimated and advanced to the employee. Adjustments will be made once the employee provides proof of receipt of Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan parental benefits.

(e) The parental allowance to which an employee is entitled is limited to that provided in paragraph (c) and an employee will not be reimbursed for any amount that he or she is required to repay pursuant to the Employment Insurance Act or the Parental Insurance Act in Québec.

(f) The weekly rate of pay referred to in paragraph (c) shall be:

(i) for a full-time employee, the employee's weekly rate of pay on the day immediately preceding the commencement of maternity or parental leave without pay;

(ii) for an employee who has been employed on a part-time or on a combined full-time and part-time basis during the six (6) month period preceding the commencement of maternity or parental leave without pay, the rate obtained by multiplying the weekly rate of pay in subparagraph (i) by the fraction obtained by dividing the employee's straight time earnings by the straight time earnings the employee would have earned working full-time during such period.

(g) The weekly rate of pay referred to in paragraph (f) shall be the rate to which the employee is entitled for the substantive level to which she or he is appointed.

(h) Notwithstanding paragraph (g), and subject to subparagraph (f)(ii), if on the day immediately preceding the commencement of parental leave without pay an employee is performing an acting assignment for at least four (4) months, the weekly rate shall be the rate, the employee was being paid on that day.

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(i) Where an employee becomes eligible for a pay increment or pay revision that would increase the parental allowance, the allowance shall be adjusted accordingly.

(j) Parental allowance payments made under the SUB Plan will neither reduce nor increase an employee's deferred remuneration or severance pay.

(k) The maximum combined maternity and parental allowances payable under this collective agreement shall not exceed fifty-two (52) weeks for each combined maternity and parental leave without pay.

21.08 Special Parental Allowance for Totally Disabled Employees

(a) An employee who:

(i) fails to satisfy the eligibility requirement specified in subparagraph 21.07(a)(ii) solely because a concurrent entitlement to benefits under the Disability Insurance (DI) Plan, the Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance portion of the Public Service Management Insurance Plan (PSMIP) or via the Government Employees Compensation Act prevents the employee from receiving Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan benefits;

and

(ii) has satisfied all of the other eligibility criteria specified in paragraph 21.07(a), other than those specified in sections (A) and (B) of subparagraph 21.07(a)(iii);

shall be paid, in respect of each week of benefits under the parental allowance not received for the reason described in subparagraph 21.08(a)(i), the difference between ninety-three per cent (93%) of the employee's rate of pay, and the gross amount of his or her weekly disability benefit under the DI Plan, the LTD Plan or via the Government Employees Compensation Act.

(b) An employee shall be paid an allowance under this clause and under clause 21.07 for a combined period of no more than the number of weeks during which the employee would have been eligible for parental, paternity or adoption benefits under the Employment Insurance or the Québec Parental Insurance Plan, had the employee not been disqualified from Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan benefits for the reasons described in subparagraph 21.08(a)(i).

21.09 Leave Without Pay for the Care of Immediate Family

Subject to operational requirements, an employee shall be granted leave without pay for the care of immediate family in accordance with the following conditions:

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(a) For the purpose of this clause, family is defined as spouse (or common-law partner), children (including foster children or children of spouse or common-law partner) parents (including stepparents or foster parent) or any relative permanently residing in the employee's household or with whom the employee permanently resides.

(b) Subject to paragraph (a), up to five (5) years leave without pay during an employee's total period of employment in the Public Service may be granted for the personal long-term care of the employee's family or for the care of a dying family member. Leave granted under this paragraph shall be for a minimum period of three (3) weeks.

(c) An employee shall notify the Employer in writing as far in advance as possible but not less than four (4) weeks in advance of the commencement date of such leave, unless, because of urgent or unforeseeable circumstances, such notice cannot be given.

**

(d) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b) above, an employee who provides the Employer with proof that he or she is in receipt of or awaiting Employment Insurance (EI) Compassionate Care Benefits may be granted leave for periods of less than three (3) weeks, but not exceeding (8) eight weeks, while in receipt of or awaiting these benefits.

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(e)  Leave granted under this clause may exceed the five (5) year maximum provided in paragraph (b) above only for the periods where the employee provides the Employer with proof that he or she has been in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) Compassionate Care Benefits.

(f) At the request of an employee and with the approval of the Employer, an employee who has proceeded on leave without pay may change his or her return to work date.

21.10 Leave Without Pay for Personal Needs

Leave without pay will be granted for personal needs in the following manner:

(a) Subject to operational requirements, leave without pay for a period of up to three (3) months will be granted to an employee for personal needs. Leave granted under this clause shall be counted for the calculation of continuous employment for the purpose of calculating severance pay and service for the purpose of calculating vacation leave. Time spent on such leave shall be counted for pay increment purposes.

(b) Subject to operational requirements, leave without pay for more than three (3) months but not exceeding one (1) year will be granted to an employee for personal needs.

(c) An employee is entitled to leave without pay for personal needs twice under each of paragraph (a) and (b) during the employee's total period of employment in the Public Service. The second period of leave under each sub-clause can be granted provided that the employee has remained in the Public Service for a period of ten (10) years subsequent to the expiration of the first period of leave under the relevant paragraph.

(d) Leave without pay granted under this clause may not be used in combination with maternity or parental leave without the consent of the Employer.

21.11 Leave Without Pay for Relocation of Spouse

(a) At the request of an employee, leave without pay for a period of up to one (1) year shall be granted to an employee whose spouse is permanently relocated and up to five (5) years to an employee whose spouse is temporarily relocated.

(b) Leave without pay granted under this clause shall be deducted from the calculation of continuous employment for the purpose of calculating severance pay and service for the purpose of calculating vacation leave for the employee involved, except where the period of such leave is less than three (3) months. Time spent on such leave which is for a period of more than three (3) months shall not be counted for pay increment purposes.

21.12 Leave With Pay for Family-Related Responsibilities

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(a) For the purpose of this clause, family is defined as spouse (or common-law partner), children (including foster children and children of spouse or common-law partner), parents (including step-parents or foster parents), parents of spouse or common law partner, grandparents, or any relative permanently residing in the employee's household or with whom the employee permanently resides.

(b) The Employer shall grant leave with pay under the following circumstances:

(i) to take a family member for medical or dental appointments, or for appointments with school authorities or adoption agencies, if the supervisor was notified of the appointment as far in advance as possible;

(ii) to provide for the immediate and temporary care of a sick member of the employee's family and to provide an employee with time to make alternate care arrangements where the illness is of a longer duration;

(iii) to provide for the immediate and temporary care of an elderly member of the employee's family;

(iv) for needs directly related to the birth or to the adoption of the employee's child.

(c) The total leave with pay which may be granted under sub-paragraphs (b)(i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) shall not exceed thirty-seven decimal five (37.5) hours in a fiscal year.

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(d) Where, in respect of any period of compensatory leave, an employee is granted leave with pay for illness in the family under paragraph 21.12(b) above, on production of a medical certificate, the period of compensatory leave so displaced shall either be added to the compensatory leave period, if requested by the employee and approved by the Employer, or reinstated for use at a later date.

21.13 Court Attendance Leave

Leave with pay shall be granted to every employee, who is required:

(a) to serve on a jury or to be available for jury selection;

and

(b) by subpoena or summons to attend as a witness in any proceeding held:

(i) in or under the authority of a court of justice or before a grand jury,

(ii) before a court, judge, justice, magistrate or coroner,

(iii) before the Senate or House of Commons of Canada or a committee of the Senate or House of Commons otherwise than in the performance of the duties of the employee's position,

(iv) before a legislative council, legislative assembly or house of assembly, or any committee thereof that is authorized by law to compel the attendance of witnesses before it,

and

(v) before an arbitrator or umpire or a person or body of persons authorized by law to make an inquiry and to compel the attendance of witnesses before it.

21.14 Injury-on-Duty Leave

An employee shall be granted injury-on-duty leave with pay for such period as may be reasonably determined by the Employer when a claim has been made pursuant to the Government Employees' Compensation Act, and a Workers' Compensation authority has notified the Employer that it has certified that the employee is unable to work because of:

(a) personal injury accidentally received in the performance of his or her duties and not caused by the employee's willful misconduct,

or

(b) an industrial illness or a disease arising out of and in the course of the employee's employment,

if the employee agrees to remit to the Receiver General of Canada any amount received by him or her in compensation for loss of pay resulting from or in respect of such injury, illness or disease providing, however, that such amount does not stem from a personal disability policy for which the employee or the employee's agent has paid the premium.

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21.15 Personnel Selection Leave

Where an employee participates in a personnel selection process, including the appeal process where applicable, for a position in the Public Service, as defined in the PSLRA, the employee is entitled to leave with pay for the period during which the employee is required, either in person or via electronic means for purposes of the selection process, and for such further period as the Employer considers reasonable for the employee to travel to and from the place where his or her presence is so required. This clause applies equally in respect of the personnel selection processes related to deployment.

21.16 Personal Leave With Pay

(a) Subject to operational requirements as determined by the Employer and with an advance notice of at least five (5) working days, the employee shall be granted in each fiscal year a single period of up to seven decimal five (7.5) hours of leave with pay for reasons of a personal nature.

(b) The leave shall be scheduled at a time convenient to both the employee and the Employer. Nevertheless, the Employer shall make every reasonable effort to grant the leave at such time as the employee may request.

21.17 Leave With or Without Pay for Other Reasons

At its discretion, the Employer may grant:

(a) leave with pay when circumstances not directly attributable to the employee prevent his or her reporting for duty. Such leave shall not be unreasonably withheld;

(b) leave with or without pay for purposes other than those specified in this Agreement.