Many congrats to @lindawhite.bsky.social and team! See our @rcwpolicies.bsky.social website for more excellent, timely contributions on #childcare #parentalleave and more!

Support for parents in a post-pandemic world: Options for enhancing federal maternity and parental leave | CCPA As young families confront a weakening economy and high cost of living Canada must improve its parental leave system

Read the full report to learn how Canada can better support new parents in an era of economic uncertainty: www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

With families facing an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis, now is the time for permanent reforms to EI parental leave. This report evaluates strategies for creating a more equitable and effective program.

Unfortunately, the old restrictive EI eligibility threshold has been reinstated and the $500 minimum benefit eliminated, causing a predictable drop in coverage and benefits outside Quebec.

The pandemic proved a more inclusive system is possible—in 2021, 74% of new parents with children under 18 months received benefits, an 8.8 percentage point increase from 2019 when more restrictive rules were in place.

Quebec's program is significantly more generous, replacing 70-75% of income with a much higher maximum threshold. Parents can receive up to $1,319 weekly—nearly double the federal EI maximum of $695/week in 2025.

By comparison, Quebec's Parental Insurance Program (introduced 2006) provides more inclusive support, covering low-income and non-standard workers, with mandatory inclusion of self-employed parents who are largely excluded under federal EI.

Financial support offered to new Canadian parents is modest with restrictive eligibility criteria. This inadequate support increases poverty risk and discourages many parents from taking leave at all.

Support for parents in a post-pandemic world: Options for enhancing federal maternity and parental leave | CCPA As young families confront a weakening economy and high cost of living Canada must improve its parental leave system

Canada's current Employment Insurance (EI) parental benefits system is deeply inequitable - privileging stable, higher-income families while excluding those who need support most: single parents, low-income families, newcomers, and precariously employed workers.

Young parents today face growing economic insecurity and lack of community support. This report examines how governments can better support families caring for young children through improved parental leave programs.

Support for parents in a post-pandemic world: Options for enhancing federal maternity and parental leave | CCPA As young families confront a weakening economy and high cost of living Canada must improve its parental leave system

A recent report from RC/W partner organization Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, "Support for parents in a post-pandemic world: Options for enhancing federal maternity and parental leave" highlights how Canada's parental leave system falls short. www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

Another great contribution from our RC/W team members!

Income gap hit record high in first quarter, Statscan says The highest income households saw gains from investments, while the lowest income households had wages decline

Income inequality hit a new high in 2025 as the RCW's Katherine Scott highlights the contrast between high unemployment for young grads and stable investment incomes for the wealthy.
theglobeandmail.com/business/article-income-gap-hit-record-high-in-first-quarter-statscan-says/

Scaling up of parenting support to prevent violence against children in Tanzania: insights from policymakers and service providers - Implementation Science Communications Background Evidence shows that parenting behaviours, including the use of violent discipline, can be changed through programmatic interventions. This study seeks to examine how policymakers and…

New research by Mara Yerkes et. al. explores scaling parenting support to prevent violence against children in Tanzania: implementationsciencecomms.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Policy Brief: Care/Work Policies for Managing Routine and Unpredictable Caregiving - The Vanier Institute of the Family An overview of policies and supports available help families manage care/work responsibilities and obligations in Canada

Thanks to the authors for this research!

Read the full brief here: vanierinstitute.ca/resource/pol...

It also poses key questions for policymakers: How can we design care/work policies that address both routine and unpredictable caregiving needs? How can we ensure equitable access across different employment contexts?

The brief calls for more equitable and comprehensive policy approaches to enable all parents to effectively balance work and caregiving—regardless of income level, job type, or family structure.

The economic impact of inadequate care/work policies is significant: reduced workforce participation, career limitations (especially for women), and increased stress affecting productivity.

Parents need comprehensive solutions: flexible work options, family responsibility leave, and sick leave that acknowledges caregiving realities. These aren't luxuries—they're necessities for functioning families.

Current regulations in the Canada Labour Code and provincial/territorial employment standards provide inconsistent protection, leaving many parents without adequate support.

The 2023 Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care reveals troubling inequities: access to flexible work arrangements and family leaves varies dramatically across workplaces and socioeconomic groups.

Parents face both routine caregiving (like school pickups) and unpredictable needs (sick children, childcare disruptions)—and current policies don't adequately address these realities for many Canadian families.

Policy Brief: Care/Work Policies for Managing Routine and Unpredictable Caregiving - The Vanier Institute of the Family An overview of policies and supports available help families manage care/work responsibilities and obligations in Canada

A policy brief by RC/W team members Manlin Cai, Donna Lero, and Sylvia Fuller with The Vanier Institute of the Family highlights the critical gap in Canada's care/work policies for parents juggling employment and caregiving responsibilities. vanierinstitute.ca/resource/pol...

Released today, Interim Space Statistics 2024 is the latest report in CRRU's ECEC in Canada series: childcarecanada.org/publications... #cdnchildcare

2025 CSA-SCS Annual Conference Fourwaves - 2025 CSA-SCS Annual Conference

Read more about this panel discussion here: event.fourwaves.com/csa-scs-conf...

There was a common theme across the presentations: post-COVID, many hoped-for policy changes haven't materialized or are distributed unevenly. Québec still leads in parental leave, child care gains are precarious, and many workplaces have reverted to pre-pandemic norms.

Finally, RC/W Co-Investigators Lindsey McKay, Sophie Mathieu, and Andrea Doucet presented on parental leave policy as a social justice paradox, exploring how policies intended to support families may create unintended inequities.

RC/W Co-Founder Sylvia Fuller examined employment supports for caregiving responsibilities, highlighting the gap between policy and practice in supporting working parents.

RC/W team members Adrienne Davidson, Elizabeth Dhuey, Martha Friendly, Michal Perlman, Susan Prentice, Linda White, and Jenna Quelch shared findings on how the $10/day child care rollout is impacting parent preferences across Canada.

RC/W Co-Founder Susan Prentice presented on social movements and child care policy change in Canada, examining how collective action shapes policy development.