Sick Notes in Canada: The Five-Day Rule Is Not National

There is no single Canadian rule that says an employer may demand a doctor's note only after 5 days. The rules now differ sharply by jurisdiction. British Columbia and the federal Canada Labour Code use 5-day thresholds in particular circumstances, Ontario generally prohibits medical notes as proof for its ordinary statutory sick leave, and Quebec uses a different short-absence rule. For a multi-jurisdiction employer, a national policy built around one "five-day rule" can therefore be wrong in several places at once. An employer cannot request a sick note for a health-related leave of 5 consecutive days or fewer where the employee has taken no more than one other health-related leave of 5 consecutive days or fewer in that calendar year.