Canada at the ILO

The International Labour Office (ILO) revisions of maternity benefits will come to be formally adopted at the upcoming June meeting.

To date the ILO members have voted to maintain:

• 12 weeks paid maternity leave,
• entitlement to paid breastfeeding breaks,
• provision for an unspecified period of compulsory leave.

Canada as a participant has taken the position that nursing breaks should be voluntary and come under the category of "Recommendations" and prefers the provisions to be written in a "less prescriptive manner" than the current Convention, thus weakening the Convention. Peter Brander, Policy Advisor for Claudette Bradshaw, Minister of Labour, cites the fact that nursing breaks are not addressed in Canada's labour standards as a reason for the position.

Your input is needed to strengthen Canada's position on nursing breaks at the ILO. Write to Claudette Bradshaw, Minister of Labour Ottawa, ON K1A 0J2 and ask that Canada support nursing breaks as a provision of the Convention rather than a "Recommendation".

Maternity benefits for Canadian mothers

Meanwhile Canada has announced plans to improve its national maternity benefits. Plans are under way to extend parental leave to a maximum of 52 weeks. Currently parents are entitled to 17 weeks plus addition parental leave to extend this to 29 weeks. However problems of accessibility still exist.