Advertisement
Parenting

Trudeau says Liberals are considering use-it-or-lose-it paternity leave

The idea would be similar to the paternity leave policy in Quebec—new fathers receive up to five weeks of paid leave that covers 70 percent of their income.

Trudeau says Liberals are considering use-it-or-lose-it paternity leave

Photo: iStockphoto

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is raising the idea of creating a use-it-or-lose-it, funded leave for new dads, doing so days before he unveils a spending blueprint that has been the focus of lobbying efforts for further changes to national parental leave policies.

The idea would be similar to the paternity leave policy in Quebec, which is the only province that provides funded leave for new fathers.

The Liberals have heard from experts that the popular program in Quebec should be replicated at a federal level along with other changes to parental leave policies, including increasing the value of benefits paid out for parents who opt for an 18-month parental leave and creating a new, six-month leave option with a higher income replacement rate to help low-income families that can't afford a year at only half salary.

There have also been calls to make such a leave available to anyone who isn't considered a primary caregiver, such as a grandparent.

The Liberals will release their third budget next week.

Advertisement

Trudeau told a forum at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India, that making it easier for non-birthing parents, like fathers, to take time off to care for a newborn would help remove barriers women face in the workforce related to expectations that they be primarily responsible for child-rearing.

There is anecdotal evidence that women who are of child-bearing age or are pregnant are passed over for jobs or promotions, even though such actions are prohibited under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Trudeau said his government will look at changes to parental leave, specifically "leave that can only be taken by the second parent, in most cases the father," making it "a use-it-or-lose-it" model. He also suggested the leave would be flexible beyond fathers to include, for instance, a partner in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender marriages.

"Whatever format you have, that path is removing some of the barriers and the obligations and the expectations that hold women back in the workforce, so there are a lot of things to do and we're going to have," he said before switching to talk about the 2017 budget.

"We're going to do more in the upcoming budget that we're putting forward in just a few weeks, but there's always going to be much more to do."

Advertisement

Trudeau's government has been paying closer attention to parental leave options since their changes received a cool welcome late last year.

Under new rules that came into effect in December, new parents can spread 12 months of employment insurance benefits over 18 months, even though experts, labour and business groups expressed concern the program would only benefit families with higher incomes.

Last year's budget pegged the cost of the measure at $152-million over five years and $27.5-million a year afterwards.

An analysis of recently released census data by the Vanier Institute of the Family found fathers are increasingly taking more time off after the birth of a child. In a report last month, the institute found 30 per cent of recent fathers in 2016 reported they took, or intended to take, parental leave, up from three per cent in 2000.

Much of the national increase was due to Quebec's program. In that province, 80 per cent of fathers claimed or planned to take parental leave in 2016, almost triple the 28 per cent recorded in 2005.

Advertisement

Read more: Working dads push for more family-friendly policies Is Quebec doing parental leave the best?

Weekly Newsletter

Keep up with your baby's development, get the latest parenting content and receive special offers from our partners

I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertisement
Advertisement