Members receive a top-up for a maternity leave — covering roughly four months post-partum — but not parental leave, which can begin once maternity leave ends.

“Typically, if you have a top-up on one, you have a top-up on both,” King said.

There’s been a long-standing demand from Canada’s labour movement to reform the country’s employment insurance program and “make it more generous,” King added.

“Because employment insurance in Canada is relatively stingy … you have this problem of unions trying to negotiate benefit top-ups.”

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