REGINA—Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall today announced his intention to introduce a private members’ bill in the spring that would protect the civilian employment of Canadian Forces Reserve members who volunteer for military training, for duties in Canada or for deployment overseas.

“I remember meeting with some of these brave men and women at a Riders game this past fall,” Wall said.

“I told my son ‘We may see some heroes on the field today, but these are the real heroes and I think we owe them our support and recognition.”

The Canadian Forces Reservist Protection Act would mandate an unpaid leave of absence for employees who find themselves in these circumstances. The process for guaranteeing a job on return from a leave of absence is outlined in Section 80 of the Labour Standards Act.

Right now, there is federal legislation to protect jobs if a reservist is “called up”. However, that legislation does not actually help, since reservists haven’t been called up in Canada for years.

“These are people in the prime earning years of their lives, willing to put things on hold while they help to make the world a safer place and rebuild countries ravaged by war,” Wall said.

“Under those circumstances, my job as an MLA would still be there when I got back. I think this is the kind of basic protection that everyone should be afforded.”

Wall said this plan will go nowhere without the cooperation and agreement of the current government.

“This is something I believe very strongly in, and it’s the right thing to do. So, I look forward to their support.”

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For more information, Saskatchewan Party Caucus, Regina 787-4300.