A Canadian Resignation Letter Due to Disciplinary Action is a formal written notice submitted by an employee who is resigning in the context of workplace disciplinary proceedings. This document allows the employee to leave their position while documenting the circumstances of their departure, preserving their legal rights, and creating a record that may be relevant to future employment, Employment Insurance claims, or legal proceedings.

In Canada, the relationship between resignation and disciplinary action exists within a complex legal framework that includes common law principles, provincial employment standards legislation, and, for unionized employees, collective agreement provisions. Under the common law of employment, an employer may terminate an employee for just cause without notice or pay in lieu of notice, but the threshold for establishing just cause is high. The Supreme Court of Canada in McKinley v. BC Tel (2001 SCC 38) established that just cause must be assessed contextually, considering the nature and seriousness of the dishonesty or misconduct, the surrounding circumstances, and whether dismissal is proportionate.

When an employee faces disciplinary action, they may be offered the option to resign rather than be terminated. This is a common practice in Canadian workplaces because it allows the employer to avoid the costs and risks of wrongful dismissal litigation, while giving the employee a potentially cleaner departure. However, the employee must understand the consequences: a voluntary resignation may affect entitlement to statutory termination pay under provincial employment standards legislation such as Ontario’s Employment Standards Act (S.O. 2000, c. 41, s. 54-62), British Columbia’s Employment Standards Act (R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 113, s. 63-64), or Alberta’s Employment Standards Code (R.S.A. 2000, c. E-9, s. 54-58). A resignation also generally disqualifies the employee from receiving Employment Insurance benefits under the Employment Insurance Act (S.C. 1996, c. 23), unless the employee can demonstrate just cause for leaving under section 29(c).

A resignation letter in the context of disciplinary action is needed when an employee in Canada faces workplace disciplinary proceedings and chooses to resign rather than face potential termination. This situation arises in several distinct scenarios.

The most common scenario involves an employer offering the employee the option to resign as an alternative to termination for cause. This arrangement benefits both parties: the employer avoids the risk of a wrongful dismissal claim at common law (where damages can be substantial, as illustrated by cases like Bardal v. Globe & Mail Ltd., which established the factors for determining reasonable notice), while the employee avoids having a termination for cause on their employment record.

Unionized employees in Canada have additional protections. Under the Canada Labour Code (R.S.C. 1985, c. L-2) for federally regulated employees, or provincial labour relations legislation for provincially regulated employees, unionized workers have the right to grieve disciplinary actions through the collective agreement’s grievance and arbitration process. An employee who resigns may forfeit the right to file a grievance, making it essential to document any objections in the resignation letter.

Employees who believe they are being constructively dismissed — where the employer’s conduct has fundamentally altered the employment relationship — should use the resignation letter to clearly document the circumstances and reserve their legal rights. The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Potter v. New Brunswick Legal Aid Services Commission (2015 SCC 10) provides the framework for constructive dismissal claims.

Employees in regulated professions (such as nurses regulated by provincial colleges of nursing, or engineers regulated by provincial engineering associations) may face professional regulatory consequences in addition to employment consequences, and the resignation letter should be drafted with awareness of these parallel proceedings.

A Canadian Resignation Letter Due to Disciplinary Action must include the employee’s full legal name, current position, and the employer’s legal name. The effective date of resignation should be clearly stated — whether immediate or at a future date — and the letter should acknowledge whether the resignation is voluntary or being submitted in lieu of termination.

The reason for resignation section requires particular care. The employee should consider the implications of how the resignation is characterized for Employment Insurance purposes, future employment references, and any potential legal claims. Under section 30 of the Employment Insurance Act (S.C. 1996, c. 23), a claimant who voluntarily leaves employment without just cause is disqualified from receiving benefits. If the employee is resigning because the alternative is termination, the letter should document this context without making admissions that could be used against the employee in other proceedings.

A grievance statement section allows the employee to formally document any objections to the disciplinary process or the underlying allegations. This is particularly important for unionized employees who may wish to preserve the right to challenge the disciplinary action through the grievance and arbitration process under the collective agreement. Even for non-unionized employees, documenting a grievance creates a record that may be relevant to human rights complaints under provincial human rights legislation or the Canadian Human Rights Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. H-6).

The rights reservation clause is critical. The employee should expressly reserve all rights under applicable employment standards legislation, including entitlements to outstanding wages, accrued vacation pay (mandated by all provincial employment standards statutes), and any other statutory benefits. The governing province should be specified, as employment standards vary significantly across provinces. The employee should retain a copy of the signed letter with proof of delivery, and should consider seeking independent legal advice before signing.