New mothers and fathers planning to begin their parental leave on or after Dec. 3 will be able to spread their federal benefits over a longer period of time. Eligible soon-to-be-mothers will also be able to claim maternity benefits up to 12 weeks before the baby is due. As is, the federal parental leave program offers 15 weeks of EI maternity benefits for new mothers and allows parents to split an additional 35 weeks. Anyone who is already receiving 35 weeks of parental leave before the new measures officially come into effect won't be able to switch and take the extra time. None of the parental leave changes will impact residents of Quebec, where the province runs its own parental leave program.

Source: CBC News November 09, 2017 13:41 UTC