Legislated military leave for reservists

Eligible employees can take leave from their civilian work for military deployments and training. All employees in Canada are covered by federal, provincial, or territorial labour codes depending on which sector they work in.

Across Canada, each labour code has military leave provisions for reservists, including:

• Minimum employment period before being eligible for military leave
• Reason for leave (e.g., training and operations)
• Notice period and documentation required to request military leave
• Length of the leave and restrictions on the number of leave requests
• Circumstances regarding the employee’s return to work
• Exceptions

To learn how to request military leave, visit Get support from your civilian employer.

Military leave provisions by location

• Canada Labour Code – Leave of absence for members of the reserve force (unpaid) for employees in federally-regulated workplaces
• Ontario – Reservist leave
• Quebec – Leave for reservists
• British Columbia – Reservists' Leave
• Alberta – Reservist leave
• Manitoba – Leave for reservists
• Saskatchewan – Reserve Force Leave
• Nova Scotia – Employment Protection – Reservist's Leave (PDF, 26.1 KB)
• New Brunswick – Leave for members of the Reserves
• Prince Edward Island – Reservists Leave (Military Service)
• Newfoundland and Labrador – Reservist leave
• Northwest Territories – Employment Standards Act (Section 32.1)(PDF, 851 KB)
• Yukon – Labour Standards Act (Section 60.2)(PDF, 1.42 MB)
• Nunavut – Consolidation of Labour Standards Act – Part V.2 (PDF, 117 KB)

Organization-specific military leave

Some employers and schools provide military leave through internal policies and/or provisions in collective agreements. Talk to your human resources, student affairs, or union representative for more information. You can also learn more about creating a military leave policy for your organization.