Bill C-32 Receives Royal Assent

The federal government’s Bill C-32 (the Budget Implementation Act), has now received royal assent. Among other things, it makes significant changes to maternity and parental employment insurance benefits under the Employment Insurance Act. Currently, the Act provides for fifteen weeks of maternity benefits plus ten weeks of parental benefits. The duration of parental benefits will increase from ten to thirty-five weeks for biological and adoptive parents. The maximum entitlement will increase from thirty to fifty weeks of combined maternity, parental and sickness benefit. These changes are to become effective on December 31, 2000.