OTTAWA –Karina Gould, who made history as the first federal cabinet minister to give birth while in office, says parental leave for MPs "needs to happen," and that she has personally experienced administrative issues as the result of not having the promised Liberal policy in place.

In last year's gender equity-themed budget the federal Liberals promised to pursue a parental leave program for parliamentarians, but several months have passed with no action.

Government House Leader Bardish Chagger told CTVNews.ca earlier this week that she is looking to revive the proposal, with less than ten sitting weeks left in this Parliament.

Gould said the parental leave program needs to happen, not only for existing MPs, but "to attract and retain new members of Parliament, particularly young women."

Gould said that she is currently experiencing issues with House of Commons administration over the leave she took when she had her son Oliver in March of last year. "It was at year-end, and they're refusing to make accommodations for me and so I'm currently in conversations with the House administration about this. We need to update and modernize Parliament… and we need to make sure that this is a place that is welcome of all ages and who are parents as well."

With a slowly growing contingent of female MPs of childbearing age and MPs with young families, there has been an increasing push to think seriously about revamping the rules to reflect the changing demographics. The 2018 budget promised the first-ever parental leave program for parliamentarians, part of a bigger promise to take steps to make Parliament more family friendly.

The government said they would amend the Parliament of Canada Act to make it possible for parliamentarians to take maternity and parental leave. Currently no such provision is available, leaving MPs to have to work out case-by-case leave scenarios with their parties.

The legislative change was made, through the first of two omnibus 2018 budget implementation bills. In Bill C-74, the Liberals passed an amendment adding a section that allows the House and Senate to create new regulations for maternity and parental leave, though the legislation didn't actually create any new rules.

The amendment allows for changes related to absences and pay for MPs who want to take time away if they are pregnant, caring for a newborn, or have a newly-adopted child.

This was passed in June of 2018, but since then there has been no policy created.

After asking Chagger's office what, if any, progress had been made on this promise, the minister told CTVNews.ca that she had sent a letter just days earlier, to House of Commons Speaker Geoff Regan asking that the issue be added to the agenda of an upcoming Board of Internal Economy Committee meeting.

Regan chairs the Board, the historically secretive panel of MPs that oversees the workings of the House of Commons. It governs MPs' spending, approves House budgets, manages employment and other House administration matter. Membership is comprised of six other members: three Liberal MPs, two Conservative MPs, and one New Democrat.

In her letter, Chagger lists some of the other parliamentary changes the Liberals have made with the intent of making the House more family-friendly, adding that she'd like this to be dealt with soon. Chagger also requested that House of Commons administrators present options for the Board to consider.

"It is the Board of Internal Economy that is able to set a framework in place to ensure that Parliamentarians are able to have a family and be part of democracy. I think people that choose to run for office should not have to choose between either," Chagger said in a March 18 interview. Her office told CTVNews.ca that the letter asking this issue be revived was sent on March 7.

She said there are other jurisdictions and an earlier committee study that can inform the Board's work.

In 2017, the Procedure and House Affairs Committee studied the matter and recommended Canada take steps to catch up to other Parliaments.

With the move into West Block some steps have been taken to accommodate MPs who bring their young children to work with them, including setting up a family room that has a nursing chair, crib, and diaper-changing table.

As the parental leave rules currently stand, MPs:

  • Are not provided parental leave, because they don’t pay in to Employment Insurance;
  • Are allowed 21 days of medical leave before being docked $120 pay per day they are absent; and
  • Have no formal way to report with the House of Commons that their absence is because of a maternity or paternity leave.

Chagger wouldn't say whether this new parental leave framework will be in place before the end of this Parliament, but she said "there is a desire to want to move forward in a really quick way."

Asked if she thought it was too late to put a parental leave system for MPs in place before the end of this Parliament in June, Gould said she didn’t think so.

"Where there is a will, there is a way. I hope that the Board of Internal Economy, that the House administration will take this seriously because we should absolutely be making this a priority," Gould said.