Canada middle-of-the-pack when it comes to family-friendly policies worldwide: UNICEF

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – When it comes to family-friendly policies, Canada only ranks middle-of-the-pack among dozens of the world’s wealthy nations.

UNICEF places Canada at 19th out of 41 countries when it comes to things like paid leave available to mothers, but the country is tied for last place in paid leave for fathers or second parents.

“Canada’s policies on parental leave and early childhood education and care do not include all children,” said Rowena Pinto, UNICEF Canada’s Chief Program Officer.

The UNICEF report also singles Canada out for not including all families in parental leave and and early childhood care and education policies.

Read the full report from UNICEF:

Family-Friendly-Policies-Research_UNICEF_ 2019

It points out adopted children, Indigenous children and children in families with low-income are disproportionately excluded because they don’t meet eligibility requirements.

“We must make these policies fully inclusive and equitable,” Pinto said.

UNICEF notes the rankings are based on 2016 policies. In 2019, Canada introduced a new policy that would exclusively provide a second parent five weeks of leave at a pay rate of 55 per cent. Considering this new policy, UNICEF says Canada would rank about 16th.

The report has found that Quebec is the most generous when it comes to benefits offered.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today