'Paternity Leave' Comes to Canada

[Canadian Visitor]

So today, Feb 27, 2018 was Federal Budget day in Canada.

Without getting bogged down in the details of how our version of democracy works vs the U.S. one, budgets almost always pass, and this one will.

Our 'budget speech' is a bit like your 'State of the Union' except delivered by our Finance Ministers not our Prime Minister.

Always a very political speech w/goals and aspirations, though in varying degrees of accuracy these are costed as they are announced with an actual budget bill parliament must pass in order to implement the aspirational stuff.

AT any rate....the biggest change for the average Canadian/Windsorite is 'paternity leave'.

Technically, its second-parent leave.

But in practise, only about 12% of Canadian men take the either parent, parental leave currently available post-birth.

So the nuance is merely to note this will be available to both adoptive and same-sex parents.

What was:

17 weeks maternity leave [[medical)

35 weeks parental leave [[either parent)

Both at 55% of regular income up to a limit.

The option was also introduced last year to spread the benefit over 18 months, or 57 weeks of parental leave, but less cash per week [[only 33% of income)

New this year: 5 weeks of added leave, @ 55% must be taken by the second parent, or you lose it. Can't be added to the primary parent's leave.

*****

Lots of other stuff in the budget but this was the most notable to the average person.

Also of note is Canada is now actively exploring Universal Prescription Drug Care at the federal level; though no funding attached this year.

Buckets of money to address inequities suffered by aboriginal Canadians [[their own child welfare system run by them, money for improving housing, education and health)

And tons of new money for research; and the environment.

Canada's economy looking pretty decent, deficits are falling, though all the new spending means at a slower rate than would otherwise be the case.

Debt to GDP is declining and competitive; though in my opinion too high.

No meaningful tax changes.

https://www.budget.gc.ca/2018/docs/plan/toc-tdm-en.html