Ottawa, ON – Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for Employment, released the following statement on a fourth Conservative proposal to support families as they integrate work and family life:

“On May 7th, Conservatives announced 3 key proposals to strengthen parental leave and give parents more flexibility and choice as they endeavour to integrate work and family life. Today, we are pleased to announce a fourth proposal, providing for a fairer calculation of pension eligibility for parents as they share caregiving responsibilities.

“Canadian parents today divide up caregiving responsibilities in unique and creative ways. Unfortunately, the current system for calculating CPP eligibility does not recognize situations where two parents are both making career sacrifices at the same time.

“CPP calculations recognize in principle that time spent raising young children should not permanently lower a parent’s retirement benefits. The existing Child-Rearing Drop-Out allows months of low or no earnings to be excluded when a parent is the primary caregiver of a child under age 7. However, under the current rules, only one parent can use the Child-Rearing Drop-Out for a given period of time. When both parents reduce their earnings at the same time to share caregiving responsibilities, only one can use the drop-out. The other parent’s lower-earning months remain in their record and may permanently lower their average pensionable earnings and their retirement benefits.

“Conservatives are proposing a simple, practical fix:

  • Simultaneous Use of the Child-Rearing Drop-Out. Conservatives are proposing to allow both parents to claim the Child-Rearing Drop-Out for the same period.

“This proposal reflects how more and more Canadian families actually live. Many families make decisions together about how to balance work and caregiving, and both parents often adjust their work as a result. Government policy should recognize that reality, instead of assuming that only one parent takes a step back from work. This change would remove an existing disincentive that discourages the sharing of caregiving responsibilities.

“This proposal builds on three previously announced policies to support families.

  • Flexible Parental Leave. Currently, parents outside Quebec cannot pause and then resume their leave. There are many situations in which a parent may want to return to work for a short time and then resume their leave. Introducing this option provides more flexibility for parents and for employers. Conservatives are proposing to allow parental leave to be paused and then resumed, within the existing maximum parental leave timeframe of 18 months, and based on mutual agreement between employer and employee. Conservatives believe that the government should get out of the way and allow employers and employees to determine a mutually agreeable and flexible leave schedule where desirable. This also provides more flexibility for the self-employed to develop their own leave schedule.
  • Learning on Leave. Parents should be able to pursue education or skills training while on parental leave without losing access to their benefits. Allowing learning on leave would help parents maintain their connection to the labour market and strengthen their long-term career prospects. Currently ability to learn on leave is not a certainty, with determinations made by bureaucrats based on fuzzy and imprecise criteria. The government should not treat parents like children. Conservative propose ensuring that parents are able to make their own decisions about learning on leave.
  • A Caregiving Exception to EI Parental Benefit Clawbacks. Parents who provide additional paid caregiving support to other families while caring for their own children should not be penalized through benefit clawbacks. Conservatives are proposing a caregiving exception to benefit clawbacks. This would allow a new mom to start a day home, or to watch a neighbour’s child from time to time, in order to earn a little extra money. This provides families with more flexibility and incentivizes an increase in the availability of childcare services.
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“These four constructive proposals would make life easier for families and align with the realities of modern family life. Canadians should not have to choose between caring for their children and securing their own retirement. Canadian families should not face disincentives to share caregiving responsibilities in ways that make sense for them. We call on the government to include all of these constructive measures in the November 5th budget.”