Benefits Canada has been on top of the 2018 budget changes that affect you and your Employees, on March 3rd I wrote on National Pharma Care. This week I would like to talk about an additional 5 week Parental Leave.
In Quebec they have offered incentive for the Father to take time off and allow the Women to return to work sooner. They found that 80% of Fathers have taken this time versus 12% of Fathers taking the Parental Leave in other parts of the country. This benefit will be available to eligible two-parent families, including adoptive and same-sex couples, to take at any point following the arrival of their child.
The government is proposing to provide $1.2 billion over five years, starting in 2018/19, and $344.7 million per year thereafter, to introduce the new benefit. The benefit will increase the duration of employment insurance parental leave by up to five weeks in cases where the second parent agrees to take a minimum of five weeks of the maximum combined 40 weeks available using the standard parental option of 55 per cent of earnings for 12 months. Alternatively, where families have opted for the extended parental leave at 33 per cent of earnings for 18 months, the second parent would be able to take up to eight weeks of additional parental leave.
To review how these changes could affect your employees and benefit plan, please contact Glendinning Insurance Services, Your Resource Specialist.