As of December 31, 2000, the Government of Canada extended the total length of leave for new parents to as many as 52 weeks. This doubles the amount of time a new parent can stay on benefits.

How Does It Work?
Parents need to log 600 hours of insurable earnings to qualify for the maximum of 50 weeks of maternity and/or parental benefits. This would be equivalent to approximately 30 hours of employment over a period of 20 weeks.

It is essential that the employee notify the employer at least four weeks prior to commencement of their maternity or parental leave. In the notice, it is necessary to advise the employer of the intended length of time you are taking leave.

The employee must also provide the employer with a certificate of confirmed pregnancy signed by their attending physician in the case of maternity leave.

The Canada Labour Code provides up to 17 weeks of maternity leave – a two-week waiting period and 15 weeks of paid benefits for new mothers. New mothers may extend their leave by taking an additional 35 weeks of parental leave after the maternity benefits expire. Parents may also share the parental benefits with the mother taking the maternity leave and the father taking the extended 35 weeks of parental leave.

For parents who decide to share the benefits, there is no waiting period for the second claim. In the past there were delays in getting the second claim started after the mother returned to work.

The initial 17-week maternity leave may begin up to 11 weeks prior to the expected delivery date and may end up to 17 weeks after the actual delivery date.

“I especially enjoyed having a whole year off,” says Jody Mccaskill, a pharmacist from London, Ont. “I took off six weeks prior to the birth of the baby, and it was great to have time to prepare.”

Mccaskill says she was very grateful to be able to take the time prior to delivering her baby. She feels it enables moms to be able to take a little time and not have to work right up until the delivery date.

One of the most advantageous changes to the benefit program is that parents who are on leave may work limited hours while they take their parental leave. The parent who is collecting employment insurance benefits may earn a sum of $50 or up to 25 percent of their weekly benefits, whichever is greater, and it will not affect the amount of benefits payable. This is only available for parents on parental leave, not for the maternity leave benefit recipients.

“I get 55 percent of my pay cheque for benefits from the government,” says Paula Macdonald of London, Ont. “I also earn $64 a week by working at the pharmacy once during a work week for just four hours.”

The rate for benefits equals 55 percent of an average weekly insurable earnings up to a maximum of $413 dollars per week.

Is My Job Safe?
The Canada Labour Code is written so that it protects the job for the period of time on parental leave as well as on the extended parental leave. Each province and territory is responsible for adapting its own labour code as required.

Employees who take a paternity leave must be reinstated into their former position at their place of employment. A company may also opt to give them another position as long as it is a comparable job at the same location with the same wages and benefits.

Employers must abide by the rules and regulations as set out for them under the Canada Labour Code. Provisions must be made to ensure that the parent on leave can return to their job with the same benefits as they had prior to their parental leave.

Employees who are on maternity or parental leave may request, in writing, information about any opportunities for training and promotion that the company is offering other employees.

“I just finished my last class in the Certified Pharmacy Technician course,” says Macdonald, whose baby was born in November 2001. “Now I am ready to take the exam in October along with everyone else. I was glad I could do it while I was off work.”

By taking the course, Macdonald has kept up with her certification, even though she was on leave from the pharmacy that employed her at the time.

What About the Free Time?
With the new benefits in place, it has become even easier to take a little extra time off to adjust to having a new baby in the house. The changes in the earning potential that came in December 2000 have also helped families who really need that little bit of extra money each week to get by.

All this free time – what is a parent to do? Some parents have told me they are not finding that they really have a lot of “free” time, but are thrilled to be spending their days watching their child’s first year unfold.

“Free time?” says Macdonald. “Let’s see – when I am not washing floors, dusting, ironing, cleaning baths, vacuuming, washing clothes, cooking dinner, feeding the baby, I try to sneak in a quick shower.”

Macdonald has found that there really isn’t a lot of free time, as she now has two children at home with her, but she makes the most of the time she does have alone with her new baby.

“The YMCA near us has a wonderful Parents and Tots swim,” says Macdonald. “It is for ages 3 months to 3 years old. A friend of mine went to all those kinds of classes, and both Mom and Baby had so much fun.”

The local libraries in London, where Macdonald lives, sponsor a program called Books for Babies. This program is a huge hit amoung its participants, both young and old. Books for Babies is a fun-filled half-hour of stories, songs and rhymes for children from birth to 18 months of age.

“We have stories, finger play and lots of music,” says Cheryl Horton, a library assistant at a branch in London. “When the programs are done, the moms hang out and chat. It is a good time for all.”

Tracy Prosser, a library assistant at the same branch in London, says moms love it so much, they dread going back to work. The focus of the program is teaching literacy to your children as young as possible, and the bonus is all the fun!

“The new moms learn rhymes and songs to sing to their babies,” says Prosser. “They just love getting out of the house and being with other moms. It is a great way for interaction between the children. The babies love playing games with all the other babies.”

“After about the fourth or fifth month of having a new baby in the house, I got in the groove,” says Mccaskill. “With having an entire year off, now I could do a lot more. We joined the Books for Babies, took some swimming at the local YMCA and also joined in on the Gymboree Play and Music classes.”

Having a full year off to enjoy a new baby provides a wonderful opportunity for parents to get to know their child and enjoy the moments that slip away so fast as they grow. Whether you take the time to learn a new skill, brush up on an old hobby or just play with the wee one – be sure to savour every minute.

Want to see more?

• A Day in the Life of a Mother
• How To Cope With the Stress of New Parenthood
• Pregnancy in the Workplace: How and When to Tell Your Boss
• Talk about it!