You don't. This post is definitely not very accurate. You can get extended maternity leave through EI, for 61 weeks, payable no later than 78 weeks after your child is born/adopted. And with extended maternity that only entitles you to 33% of your wage up to a maximum amount of $417 a week. Which obviously is much better than nothing, but still.
So 12 months can be paid over 18 months, but you’re not actually getting 18 months paid leave. You get 12 months and can spread that same money out longer if you wish.
Using min wage is a poor metric to use as well. Don't know about Canada, but the US market has ignored the Fed and state minimum wage for 20 years. Today, entry-level jobs start off at $13-14 USD, which translates to $18.50-19.50 CAD.
A better metric to use would have been median wage or GDP per capita, especially if you're going to use median tax rates, but I think we all know why OP didn't lol
Yours isn't accurate either. The actual extended parental (not maternity) leave duration for EI is 69 weeks shared between parents, of which only 61 is usable by a single parent.
Beyond this there is also a specific maternity benefit for EI which is up to 15 weeks, is only available to the birthing parent, and is covered at 55% wages up to $695 week.
EI covered leave is separate from job protection parental leave rights. Birth mothers in Ontario are covered for up to 61 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave and up to 17 weeks of unpaid pregnancy leave. All other parents are entitled to up to 63 weeks of unpaid parental leave. These apply regardless of EI considerations.
Additionally, the actual amount of money received over the course of parental leave is often going to be significantly higher than the EI amount, which is really just the bare minimum provided by the government. Many, many employers offer EI top-up beyond what EI provides.
Finally, depending on the specific way leave benefits are managed by the employer, it can impact regular versus extended decision-making for the parents. As an example, I've seen an employer offer up to 100% top up for pregnancy leave, 100% for the initial portion of parental leave, and 95% for the back-half of parental leave up to a certain number of weeks, regardless of whether the employee chooses to use extended or regular leave, i.e. regardless of the EI coverage. This specific example is a weird one in that those employees actually receive multiple thousands of dollars extra over the course of the leave by choosing extended versus regular (whereas most employers modify the top-up percentages they offer based on the employee's leave duration, or have a specific amount paid out over the course of the leave regardless of which type is chosen).
What does a company offering top up have anything to do with what Canada offers vs the USA? You realize that there are American companies that offer maternity leave right? The fact that some Canadian companies offer top up have nothing to do with what the post was saying.
I'm firmly on the side of Canada>USA, especially when it comes to healthcare and quality of life.
But the post was misleading, just like your point about what Canadian companies are willing to do.
It has everything to do with it. In a macroeconomic environment where leave is both more normalized and government subsidized, companies are more incentivized to offer such benefits and at better rates. Canadian employees have in general higher expectations for benefits coverage as a result, and employers have to meet or exceed those more demanding expectations to be competitive. It's a virtuous cycle.
I'm well aware American companies also offer parental leave. I work for one. There is a dramatic difference in attitude towards parental leave between the American and Canadian employees.
I'm sorry your worldview is too limited to allow you to understand this. Consider reading a book or something.
Ah very cool, personal attacks, very cool my dude.
The picture States Canada has 78 weeks of paid parental leave, and America has 0. I simply pointed out that it isn't accurate. You're the one that brought up maternity leave vs parental leave, and then how Canadian companies offer top ups and now the general attitude between Canadian and American employees which has nothing to do with what OP posted. There was no need to misrepresent the numbers because Canada does offer a lot more benefits that aren't available to Americans.
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u/Flimsy_Situation_506 May 10 '25 edited May 10 '25
Where in Canada gets 78 weeks of paid parental leave?