"We may be in quarantine due to the pandemic, but rights should not be on lockdown,” the Commission on Human Rights said.

Medical workers, teachers and other government employees have been at the forefront of the government's attempt to defeat the coronavirus pandemic, many of whom have fallen ill to the disease and have died. But the distribution of some of their benefits, such as hazard pay and performance based bonus, have never been as delayed as this year.

The labor secretary also explained that the NPCS has no legal basis and may in fact violate the Constitution, the Labor Code and other laws.

"We implore the Canadian government to take action on these concerns with urgency, as our country further descends into an authoritarian state," Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay told the Canadian Parliament.

Reported employment increased by 610,000, from 42.5 million in January 2020 to 43.2 million in February 2021. But this was far from enough for the labor force which grew by 2.4 million over that same period to 47.3 million, said the group, resulting in even greater unemployment.