This enactment amends the Canada Labour Code to prohibit disciplinary action against volunteer firefighters who must leave work or fail to appear at work in order to act in that capacity.

It also amends the Employment Insurance Act to provide that claimants remain eligible for employment insurance for any day on which they provide services as a volunteer firefighter.

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

Division XIV.‍1 

Volunteer Firefighters

Prohibition

246.‍1 (1) No employer shall, without good cause, prevent an employee from acting as a firefighter called on an occasional basis (in this Act referred to as a “volunteer firefighter”) if the employee has informed the employer of their obligations, in particular that if called to act in that capacity, they will have to leave work suddenly or will not be able to appear at work.

Current employee

(2) No employer shall, without good cause, dismiss, suspend, lay off, demote or discipline an employee because they are a volunteer firefighter nor take into account the fact that an employee is a volunteer firefighter in a decision to promote or train them if the employee has informed the employer of their obligations and advises the employer when, to act in that capacity, they must leave work suddenly or are not able to appear at work.

Future employee

(3) No employer shall, without good cause, refuse to employ a person because they are a volunteer firefighter.

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  (d) providing services as a volunteer firefighter.

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Definition of services as a volunteer firefighter

(3) For the purposes of paragraph (1)‍(d), services as a volunteer firefighter means services provided to a fire department by an individual in their capacity as a firefighter on an occasional basis that consist primarily in responding to and being on call for firefighting and related emergency calls, attending meetings held by the fire department and participating in required training related to the prevention or suppression of fires, but does not include firefighting services provided to a fire department otherwise than as a firefighter on an occasional basis.