Changes to the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) – Impacts on Maternity and Parental Benefits
October 26, 2021 - Defence Stories
Please read the information below on changes that were applied to the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP), and the associated core public administration (CPA) collective agreement considerations.
QPIP has introduced several changes to their maternity, paternity, parental, and adoption benefits including:
- An increase to the period within which paternity, parental or adoption benefits may be taken (From 52 weeks (12 months) to 78 weeks (18 months)); and,
- Increases to the number of weeks of QPIP benefits.
For more information about these changes, please consult the following links from the Government of Quebec’s QPIP website:
- Laws and regulations | Québec Parental Insurance Plan (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website)
- Tables of benefits | Québec Parental Insurance Plan (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website)
Core public administration (CPA) collective agreements considerations
Pursuant to applicable CPA collective agreement provisions, for employees living in the province of Québec and covered under QPIP, a parental allowance is payable only under Option 1: standard parental allowance, which provides for up to 39 shared weeks of top-up parental allowance at 93% of the employee’s salary (see the relevant collective agreement for details). In addition employees are reminded that:
- When two employees have shared parental leave and have received 32 weeks of QPIP parental benefits and 5 weeks of QPIP paternity benefits, OR have shared 37 weeks of QPIP adoption benefits, and either employee thereafter remains on parental leave without pay, that employee is eligible to receive a further parental allowance for a period of up to 2 weeks at 93% of their weekly rate of pay.
- Eligible employees under QPIP are entitled to a maximum combined shared maternity and standard parental allowances (a “top-up”) of up to 57 weeks for each combined maternity and parental leave without pay, pursuant to the terms of the relevant collective agreement.
- The standard parental allowance is payable within a 52-week period beginning on the day the child is born, or the day the child comes into the employee’s care.
- While pursuant to the terms of the collective agreements, new parents who are eligible for QPIP benefits have access only to the standard allowance, they have access to two options for parental leave without pay:
- Standard option: up to 37 consecutive weeks of leave without pay in the 52-week period; or
- Extended option: up to 63 consecutive weeks of leave without pay in the 78-week period
- The total number of weeks of QPIP benefits available to employees residing in Québec now exceeds the number of weeks of parental allowance available under CPA collective agreements. Given this, there may be weeks when an employee is on parental leave without pay or leave without pay for the care of family, during which they would receive QPIP benefits but are not eligible for the parental allowance.
For more information, please refer to the CPA collective agreements as well as the following Human Resource Information Notices:
- Changes to Maternity and Parental Provisions for Public Service Alliance of Canada groups (EB, PA, SV, TC)
- Changes to Maternity and Parental Provisions
Employees are also reminded that some collective agreements do not provide for an extended parental leave without pay option. In this case, employees will need to request leave without pay for the care of family. In turn, organizations are encouraged to grant leave without pay based on the same considerations used for allowing parental leave without pay.
Employees who choose the extended parental leave without pay or leave without pay for care of family and who are consequently absent for more than one year, will maintain their incumbents’ rights to their position as they would have if they had chosen the standard parental leave without pay option.
Individuals should review their options carefully and choose the option that best suits their needs.
Questions should be directed to HR Connect RH (accessible only on the National Defence network), or you can submit a request for a pay consultation with a DND Compensation Advisor through HR Connect RH today (accessible only on the National Defence network)!
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