'I would like the same as a birth parent': Regina family fights for maternity leave equality
A Regina family is asking for the same time to bond with their child as someone with a traditional family.
Marie Schultz and her husband Taylor had planned on starting a family right after they got married, but it didn’t happen easily.
For the last 8 years they tried medication, had multiple miscarriages and tried artificial insemination before one of Marie’s friends from work volunteered to be a surrogate for them.
On July 18, they welcomed their baby boy.
However, Schultz said her time at home with the baby is shorter than others.
In Canada, a four month EI maternity leave is given to the person who gives birth in order to recover. They are also eligible for an eight month parental leave, giving them a covered full year away from work.
Schultz said because she and her husband aren’t the birthing parents, they don’t qualify for the four month maternity leave and are left with just the eight month parental leave.
“We lost three babies through this, eight years is a long time of ups and downs and I just want to spend as much time with him as possible while he is little,” she said.
Schultz added that this is the same case for adoptive parents and same-sex couples.
“A traditional family is not as common as it used to be,” she said. “Families come together in so many different ways and I don’t think the parents should lack that support.”
Two months ago, Schultz wrote a letter to the federal government and Regina—Wascana MP Michael Kram asking for changes to the legislation to allow all families the chance to take a full year off to bond.
On Friday, Kram looked at the letter and said it is something he wants to look into.
“I will certainly be reaching out to all the relevant ministers who are affected by this file and I think that we do need to make some policy changes to better address this type of situation,” he said.
Parliament is currently not in session and won’t be until the fall, so he said right now there isn’t much that can be done.
Time off isn’t the only issue Schultz is dealing with, she’s also struggling to get her name on her baby’s birth certificate.
“It just makes us feel like less parents. I’m not the mother according to the law,” said Schultz.
She said according to Saskatchewan law, the one who gives birth is the mother.
According to Schultz, there is a $5,000 legal agreement with the surrogate, which was put in place before treatment started, that clearly outlines the surrogate is not the mother and explains the custody arrangement after birth.
She added that the legal team at Vital Statistics in Saskatchewan said that’s not good enough and Schultz should hire a lawyer to petition the courts to remove the surrogate’s name from the certificate, with that being quoted at about $4,800.
Schultz is wondering why the original agreement isn’t good enough.
In a statement to CTV News, eHealth Saskatchewan said the name of the mother, which is defined by law as “the woman from whom the child is delivered,” must be included on the registration of live birth and a court order is required to remove a parent’s name from the certificate.
eHealth said the cost of registering the birth, issuing a certificate and changing the registration is $120, plus the fee for a new birth certificate once the changes have been made. eHealth said it could not comment on legal costs that could be related to getting a court order to change the birth certificate.
Schultz has not yet petitioned the province, but says it is on her list to reach out. She said her current focus is to spend time with her baby.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.