Parental Leave Resources

Maternity leave: If you’re the birthing parent, you can take up to 18 weeks of maternity leave without pay.

Parental leave: If you’re the birthing parent, non-birthing parent or adopting parent, there are two options, standard and extended:
Standard leave is a single period of up to 37 weeks without pay in a 52-week period.
Extended parental leave is a single period of up to 63 weeks without pay in a 78-week period.

Paternity leave benefit (Quebec only): If you are the non-birthing parent, you can take up to 5 weeks of paternity leave under QPIP. Despite being called “paternity” leave, this leave is not gendered, it’s available to the non-birthing parent listed on the birth certificate. This leave is a benefit granted by legislation.

Adoption leave benefit (Quebec only*): If you are adopting, you have access to a number of different leaves for adoption under QPIP. These leaves are benefits granted by legislation. *For non-Quebec residents, EI parental leave applies for adoption.

If you live in Quebec, QPIP does not have an option for extended parental benefits; however, employees are eligible to take the extended parental leave without pay as provided in the collective agreement without any additional allowance. So basically you can take those extra weeks, but you will not have coverage from either QPIP or your employer.

Allowance or “top-up” refers to the funds that the employer gives you in addition to your EI or QPIP benefit. There are 3 conditions to receive the employer top-up:

1. You must have 6 months of continuous employment
2. You need to be on leave without pay
3. You need to receive benefits from EI or QPIP

Don’t worry, it does not mean you are not paid during this leave. Technically it’s a leave without pay, yes, but in this circumstance the provisions in your collective agreement mean that the employer pays or “tops up” the allowance given to you by either the EI or QPIP benefits.

Parental leave coverage can change depending on whether one or both parents work for the public service and depending on whether you’re under EI or QPIP.

For Maternity benefit under Employment Insurance (EI):

The birthing parent is entitled to up to 15 weeks with a 93% allowance, starting up to 12 weeks prior to the estimated delivery date and taken within the 17 weeks following the child’s birth. 

Maternity usually starts with a waiting week. This waiting week is eligible for the 93% top-up.  There is also the possibility to take an additional week after the full 15 weeks of maternity has been taken. This additional week is covered at 93% by the employer.

For Standard parental benefit under Employment Insurance (EI): 

When one parent works in the public service, coverage is up to 35 weeks with a 93% allowance, taken within 52 weeks of child’s birth or adoption. In addition, if there’s a waiting week, this provision covers the week you are on EI, but EI doesn’t pay you (your employer pays the full allowance amount). There is also the possibility to claim an additional week (one for the couple, either after maternity or after parental) when you’ve used the full 35 weeks of parental leave benefits (again the employer covers the full allowance amount).

When two parents work in the public service, you can take up to 40 weeks of leave, a maximum of 35 weeks per individual with a 93% allowance, taken within 52 weeks of the child’s birth or adoption. Basically you get an additional 5 weeks of leave with a 93% allowance as a couple. Again there’s a waiting week/additional week. One parent would be eligible for the additional week if one parent takes 35 weeks or if the couple shares the full 40 weeks.

For Extended parental benefit under Employment Insurance (EI):

When one parent works in the public service, you get up to a maximum of 61 weeks with a 55.8% allowance, taken within 78 weeks following the child’s birth. 

When two parents work in the public service, they get up to 69 weeks, a maximum of 61 weeks per individual with a 55.8% allowance, taken within 78 weeks of the child’s birth or adoption. Again you get one additional week per couple, if the couple has shared the full 69 weeks or if one parent takes 61 weeks.

Basically, no matter the type of leave you take, standard or extended, the amount of allowance you’re given is more or less the same. For extended it’s just stretched out at a lower percentage rate to last you throughout the leave.

If you choose extended parental leave without pay, you have the option to choose the standard leave allowance, which would mean a higher rate of top-up for the first 37 weeks; after that you would have no allowance for the remainder of your leave.

For Maternity leave benefit under the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP):

The birthing parent is entitled to up to 18 weeks with a 93% allowance, starting up to 16 weeks prior to the estimated delivery date and taken within the 20 weeks following the child’s birth. However, collective agreements don’t currently permit you to take maternity leave later than 18 weeks after the child’s birth. 

It is also possible to receive maternity benefits in case of an interruption of pregnancy after having completed 19 weeks.

For Parental leave benefit under the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP):

Standard parental allowance is the only option (there’s no extended leave under QPIP, but there are a number of other benefits, several of which came into effect in January 2021/2022).

When one parent works in the public service and you are the birthing parent, you get up to 32 weeks with a 93% allowance, plus 2 additional weeks with a 93% allowance if the full 18 weeks of maternity and 32 weeks of parental leave have been taken. 

If you’re the non-birthing parent, you can get up to 32 weeks of parental leave with a 93% allowance, plus 5 weeks of paternity leave with a 93% allowance.

When two parents work in the public service, you get 32 weeks with a 93% allowance shared between birthing and non-birthing parents, plus 5 weeks paternity leave with a 93% allowance for the non-birthing parent, as well as up to 2 additional weeks at 93% allowance. 

One of the newer modifications to the QPIP Act is 4 additional benefit weeks at 55% of insurable earnings once 8 shareable parental benefit weeks have been paid to each parent (so if you decide to share your parental leave, you get those 4 extra weeks). The leaves have to be taken within 78 weeks of the child’s birth.

Note: if you are planning to take the QPIP benefits after 52 weeks of the child’s birth, make sure to ask for the extended parental leave without pay. Otherwise, the employer will not grant top-up.

Because there is a limit of a maximum of 57 weeks of top-up from the employer, some of these additional weeks might not be covered by your collective agreement. If your employer informs you that you have reached the 57 week maximum, we encourage you to reach out to an Employment Relations Officer (ERO) to learn more about the exceptions that are not outlined in your collective agreement.

If you are adopting a child you have access to parental leave without pay provisions.

For EI you also have access to parental leave benefits.

For QPIP you have access to a number of other adoption benefits including:

• The couple can share up to 32 weeks of shareable adoption benefits
• 5 weeks of exclusive adoption benefits available to each parent
• An additional 4 weeks of shareable adoption benefits if each parent takes 8 weeks of shareable adoption benefits, so if you do share those 32 weeks of shareable adoption benefits you have access to 4 more weeks of benefits
• 13 weeks of shareable adoption-related welcome and support benefits 
• For multiple adoptions, there’s an additional 5 weeks of non-shareable parental benefits per parent
• For single adopting parents there's an additional 5 weeks of non-shareable adoption benefits

Visit the Government of Quebec website for details.

Note: For the additional 4 weeks of shareable adoption benefits, the current language in the collective agreement really only allows for 2 additional weeks, which is an issue that we’ll look to address in this round of bargaining.

Both parents can be on maternity/parental/paternity/adoption leave at the same time.

Accessing parental leave is fairly easy. You need to notify your manager at least 4 weeks before your expected leave date, and of course your manager has to approve your request for leave. An employer cannot refuse parental leave.

You’ll work with your manager and human resources department to ensure the Pay Centre receives the necessary documentation and information before your leave begins.

They send you a package that you’ll need to fill out and submit. That package will also talk about your pension and benefits options while you’re on leave. You’ll also want to make sure that you acquire your ROE (Record of Employment), as you’ll need this to apply for EI or QPIP. Your HR department or the Pay Centre will be able to help you with that.

When you’re on parental leave, your pension contributions are basically put on hold, as technically you’re on leave without pay. You’ll be presented with a few options:

• You can opt out of paying pension contributions during your leave entirely; if you choose not to pay back your contributions, you lose out on that pensionable service
• You can pay a lump sum once you return to work for the total pension contributions missed during your leave
• You can pay in installments once you return to work; these payments are deducted from your paycheque each pay period until you’ve covered the total amount of missed pension contributions

Your health benefit contributions are paused while you’re on maternity and/or parental leave. You can again opt out of making these payments, but it’ll mean you don’t have access to health benefits during your leave.

• For standard leave: An employee may opt out of the health plan while on maternity and/or parental leave. If the employee chooses to maintain the coverage, the employee keeps their coverage by paying the employee share of contributions for the first 52 weeks of leave. The dental coverage is entirely employer paid for the first 52 weeks of leave.
• For extended leave: After 52 weeks, the employee has to pay both the employee and the employer share. An employee extending leave beyond 52 weeks will have to pay the full cost of the coverage, but again can opt out of the continued coverage. 

This is the amount of time you are required to work when you return from parental leave.

• For standard parental leave, you’re required to work an equivalent amount of time to the parental allowance received. 
• For extended parental leave, you’re required to work 60% (at full-time hours) of the parental allowance received.

For the reimbursement formula, because of the expansion of the definition of employer, this work may be fulfilled in the original position or a new position within the core public administration, an agency or another eligible public sector employer. So basically you do not have to stay at your same job in order to fulfill the reimbursement formula requirement, as long as your employer is within the core public administration, an agency or another eligible public sector employer.

As the non-birthing parent, you have access to the shared parental leave provisions. If you are a resident of Quebec you also have access to paternity leave under QPIP.

As a single parent, you have access to all parental leave provisions, including maternity leave. If you live in Quebec, you also have access to an additional 5 weeks of leave through the single parent benefit under QPIP. The definition of “single parent” in this case is if you choose to have a child on your own, and your name is the only one on the birth certificate.

The best place to find more detailed information about your exact parental leave provisions is your collective agreement. Find your collective agreement on your group page: https://pipsc.ca/groups

Your steward is equipped to review the parental leave provisions in your collective agreement with you and answer any questions you might have.

Find out who your local steward is: https://pipsc.ca/labour-relations/stewards/stewards-list

Employment Insurance (EI) applies to all of Canada, with the exception of Quebec. EI benefits include maternity and parental leave. EI benefits are funds to parents on leave for the birth or adoption of a child.

The birthing parent stops working and accesses maternity leave without pay. They then apply for EI maternity leave benefits (you can apply for EI maternity leave benefits as early as 12 weeks before your due date).

• You have a 1 week waiting period where EI does not pay a benefit (don’t worry – for eligible members the employer pays the full allowance for that waiting week).
• Then 15 weeks of maternity leave, followed by 35 weeks of parental leave (you can start receiving EI parental leave benefits the week your child is born or placed with you for adoption), and 1 additional week after all the maternity/parental leaves have been exhausted, where the employer again covers the full allowance.
• For extended leave, everything is more or less the same, except your parental leave period is up to 61 weeks.

If sharing EI benefits, each parent must choose the same option, standard or extended. Each parent must submit their own application. If parents don’t choose the same option, the choice on the first application received is used to determine the parental benefit option for all parents.

• When sharing, the maximum number of weeks available increases to:
  • 40 weeks for standard parental
  • 69 weeks for extended parental

One parent can’t receive more than 35 weeks of standard or 61 weeks of extended parental benefits. The remaining 5 weeks of standard or 8 weeks of extended parental benefits are available on a use-it-or-lose-it basis: if taken, they can only be taken by the other parent(s).

Parents can receive their weeks of benefits at the same time or one after another.

The application process is simple enough; as soon as you stop working you should apply for EI. If you apply more than 4 weeks after your last day of work you may lose benefits.

• To start, you’ll want to choose the benefit you’re applying for, maternity or parental. 
  • Apply for EI maternity leave benefit as early as 12 weeks prior to your due date
  • Apply for EI parental leave benefit the week your child is born or placed with you for adoption
• When applying for parental leave, you need to choose between standard or extended parental leave. Once you start receiving parental benefits, you can’t change options. If you’re sharing parental leave benefits with your partner, you both have to choose the same option (first parent to make a choice sets the benefit for both). If you applied for parental benefits at the same time as maternity benefits, you don’t need to apply again.
• Be sure to have all the required documents handy ahead of time, as the online form only saves entered information for 72 hours and then deletes what you’ve entered. The online form takes about an hour to complete, so having everything on hand is key.
• For a complete list of all the documents you’ll need, check out the Government of Canada website.
• Once you’ve completed the online form, you might need to submit documentation to Service Canada by mail or in person.
• Once they receive your application, you’ll be sent a benefit statement with a 4-digit access code. This will allow you to follow up on your application. 
• All this and more is explained on the website; we suggest reviewing the list of required information ahead of time and having everything ready for when you stop working. 
• If you need help or have questions about EI maternity/parental leave benefits, you can contact Service Canada directly – there are a few options listed on their website. The average wait time for calls is between 30 to 50 minutes.

Visit the Government of Canada website for more information: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental.html

For help, contact ESDC directly: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/contact/ei-individual.html

The Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) applies to Quebec residents only. Similar to EI, these benefits include maternity and parental leave, as well as paternity leave and adoption leaves. QPIP benefits are funds to parents on leave for the birth or adoption of a child.

QPIP is only available to Quebec residents and replaces EI benefits.

The birthing parent stops working and accesses maternity leave without pay. 

They then apply for maternity leave, which is 18 weeks of leave, followed by parental leave, which is 32 weeks. The last two additional weeks are covered by the employer when all maternity/parental leaves have been exhausted.

• QPIP also offers 5 weeks of paternity leave (not gendered, this leave is available for the non-birthing parent) and 4 additional weeks of parental leave once 8 shareable parental benefit weeks have been paid to each parent (so if you decide to share your parental leave, you get those 4 extra weeks).
• For multiple births, there’s an additional 5 weeks of benefits per parent.
• For single parents, there’s also an additional 5 weeks of benefits.
• There is no waiting week, like for EI.
• They do not, however, offer the extended leave option.

QPIP does not offer an extended parental leave benefit. So, the employer doesn’t offer an allowance. However, employees are eligible to take the extended parental leave (time) as provided in the collective agreement without any additional allowance. So basically you can take those extra weeks, but you will not have coverage from either QPIP or your employer. That being said, the amount of money you receive during standard and extended leave is more or less the same, it’s just spread out for a longer period of time.

The application process is simple enough, as soon as you stop working you should apply for QPIP. You’ll need to create a clicSÉQUR account to apply. You’ll be able to monitor your application process using this portal.

• To start, you’ll want to choose the start date for you benefit:
  • Maternity benefits may begin no sooner than the 16 weeks prior to your due date.
  • Paternity benefits and parental benefits may begin no sooner than the week of the child’s birth.
  • Adoption benefits and welcome and support benefits can start up to 5 weeks prior to the adoption date, although that’s not currently reflected in the collective agreement.
• Next you’ll choose your plan – there are a couple of options:
  • the basic plan, which offers lower benefits for a longer period. This is basically standard parental leave, so for example maternity leave would be 18 weeks with a 70% allowance.
  • the special plan, which offers higher benefits for a shorter period. This is a shorter amount of time than standard parental leave, but with a higher benefit rate, in this case for example, maternity leave is 15 weeks at a 75% allowance. Considering the top-up that the employer is paying, there’s no advantage to taking the special plan.
  • You can find out the specifics on those two options on the website
• Be sure to have all the required documents handy ahead of time; for a complete list of all the documents you’ll need, check out the Government of Quebec website. 
• Each parent will be required to complete an application form. In general, applications are processed 10 days after Centre de service à la clientèle receives it and all requested supporting documents (these can just be uploaded).
• All this and more is explained on the website – we suggest reviewing the list of required information ahead of time and having everything ready for when you stop working. 
• If you need help or have questions about QPIP maternity/parental leave benefits, you can contact them directly. There are a few options listed on their website.

Visit the Government of Quebec website for more information: https://www.rqap.gouv.qc.ca/en/about-the-plan/quick-reference-to-file-an-application

For help, contact RQAP directly: https://www.rqap.gouv.qc.ca/en/about-the-plan/contact-us

As of 20 weeks of pregnancy, you are eligible for maternity benefits under EI and QPIP even in the unfortunate event of a pregnancy loss. Up until 20 weeks, you should be able to use sick leave, but this may require a note from your doctor.

If you have 6 months of continuous employment, receive maternity benefits, and are on maternity leave without pay (the 3 employer top-up conditions), you would be eligible for the top-up.

Pregnancy loss can be an incredibly emotional event – we encourage you to access the mental health supports that are available to you: https://pipsc.ca/news-issues/supporting-your-mental-health