New parents are especially vulnerable to the affordability crisis, and Canada’s supports for new parents remain inadequately low, leaving families and their children vulnerable and unsupported.  

By improving the resources offered to new parents, the government can foster thriving communities, workplaces, and grow our country’s economy. 

The current system of parental benefits offered under the Employment Insurance (EI) program is inaccessible to many of the families that need it most. EI’s restrictive eligibility requirements mean that the outdated system prioritizes those who have stable employment and higher incomes versus those struggling to make ends meet, who most depend on the program’s support. 

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released a report outlining key changes that could greatly improve maternity and parental leave in Canada. The report, Support for Parents in a Post-Pandemic World: Options for enhancing federal maternity and parental leave, provides recommendations on how Canada can be a global leader in supporting families as they enter parenthood and raise children. 

PSAC knows that supporting workers means supporting new parents and their children. We call on the government to implement the recommendations included in the CCPA’s report, including:  

• Increasing the standard wage replacement rate of maternity, parental and adoption leave. 

• Better supporting low and modest-income families by lowering the qualifying salary for EI’s parental leave system for both salaried and self-employed workers. 

• Instituting a minimum benefit of $500 to raise the benefits of low-income families. 

• Allowing for more flexibility around how the leave is taken.  

The full report and list of recommendations can be found on the CCPA’s website.