The federal families minister announced Wednesday that a new parental leave benefit of up to five additional weeks of time off from work will be available to eligible parents as of March 2019, three months earlier than initially planned. Families Minister Jean-Yves Duclos touted extended parental leave benefit as a way to more equitably share the work of raising children between both parents. Currently, parents can share 35 weeks of paid leave — with division of that time determined by the couple. 24,000 moreThus, the additional five weeks is a "use it or lose it" benefit top-up only available when both parents agree to share the parental leave. By moving the benefit up to March, the government estimates an additional 24,000 parents could benefit from the extended leave.

Source: CBC News September 26, 2018 16:40 UTC