Roundtable on maternity/parental leave and alignment with child care: report and follow up

On April 23, 2018, Child Care Now co-hosted a one-day roundtable on Canadian maternity/parental leave policy with the Childcare Resource and Research Unit, Child Care Now, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, the Canadian Labour Congress and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

More than 50 participants attended the event, including academic researchers, government officials, child care advocates, unions, child care educators, and representatives of civil society organizations.

The roundtable was intended to inform policy and public debate on parental leave by considering such issues as:

• eligibility
• benefit levels
• duration and flexibility
• alignment with child care.

A background paper reviewing Canadian maternity and parental leave policy prepared for the round table has been updated to include proposals for policy reform made by roundtable participants.