What You Need To Know

When you welcome a child through birth or adoption, you may be eligible for three separate types of support: job-protected leave under provincial law, government income-replacement benefits through Employment Insurance (EI) or the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP), and, if eligible, the Republic Services Paid Parental Leave Top-Up. The amount of time you may take away from work is determined by applicable provincial legislation, while eligibility for EI, QPIP and the Paid Parental Leave Top-Up is determined under the rules of those respective programs.

Government Maternity, Paternity & Parental Leave Benefits

Statutory maternity and pregnancy, paternity and parental leaves are job-protected leaves under provincial employment standards and are unpaid by Republic Services. Government benefits may replace part of your income while you are on leave: EI applies outside Québec and QPIP applies in Québec. A separate statutory paternity leave is available only in Québec; eligible non-birth parents outside Québec generally use parental leave.

  • Maternity or pregnancy leave: Available to a pregnant employee (birth parent). Government maternity benefits are available through EI or QPIP.
  • Paternity leave: A separate leave and government benefit available in Québec.
  • Parental leave: For eligible birth and adoptive parents; parental benefits may be available through EI or QPIP and may be shared, subject to program rules.

Apply directly to Service Canada for EI benefits or to QPIP for Québec benefits. Payroll will issue your Record of Employment (ROE) after your last paid day. For EI applications, the ROE is submitted electronically to Service Canada. For QPIP applications, you must obtain your ROE and upload it to QPIP. Eligibility, approval and payment of government benefits are determined by EI or QPIP.

This information is intended as a high-level summary. If there is any inconsistency, applicable employment standards legislation and the terms of the EI or QPIP program will prevail.

Learn More

You can learn more about the government maternity and parental benefits at the EI website or the QPIP website. 

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If you are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, check your union contract, as eligibility and benefits might be different for each program.