Jan. 31st, 2005

velvetpage: (Default)
I just read an article in my local paper about Canada' parental leave and some proposed changes to it.

It is not surprising that the impetus for these changes is coming out of Quebec, nor that Quebec wants to set up their own program. They like to one-up Ottawa, and they really, really like to have provincial control over all social endeavours. It's a sovereignty thing. The battle to decide who gets to run this program has yet to be won. Atlantic provinces are praying Quebec loses because they can't afford to run a comparable program. Ontario is indifferent, and the West is split on the issue. But the changes Quebec is proposing are very interesting.

The current program is funded through EI (Employment Insurance, the same department that will give you some money if you lose your job through no fault of your own.) It provides for 50 weeks of benefits, which are calculated at 55% of the first 39 000 a parent earns. (This is further subdivided between maternity and parental leaves, but I won't go into that here.) Now, 55% of $39 k is approximately $20 000 for a year. That's not a living wage in most parts of this country. In fact, in Southern Ontario, it's below the poverty line for single moms.

Quebec's plan is: raise the amount covered to $52.5 k, and allow parents two choices: 75% of salary for 40 weeks, or 75% for 25 weeks followed by 55% for the remaining 25 weeks. Looking only at the first choice, someone earning $52.5 k would have earned about %40 k in that 40-week time period; under this program, they'd see $30 000 of that. That's a darn sight better than $20 k.

There are several big pitfalls here. The first is that it won't be in place any time soon, if at all. The second is how it gets paid for; if it results in increases to EI or taxes, it would cease to be worth it very, very fast. Ditto if it increases the debt/deficit. The third is the provincial vs. federal issue; I see no problem with letting provinces opt out of the federal program to provide their own, or with letting provinces top up the federal money, but if the federal program is cancelled outright, the result will be weeping and nashing of teeth in Canada's poorest regions (read: Newfoundland, New Brunswick, all three territories).

I wish it would be in place within a year, because it would make a huge difference to my finances. (Next year, my salary will be almost exactly the amount of the proposed new cap.) But I'm not counting on this or any other improvement in that short a time.

In any case, Quebec has once again provided a benchmark for the rest of the country to live up to. They did it with daycare, and the federal government has yet to deliver on the promise to create a system for the rest of us. Now they're doing it for parental leaves. What I want to know is: with the best benefits packages and child-rearing strategies in the country, why does Quebec still have the lowest birth rate? If I lived there, I'd be cranking out babies.
velvetpage: (Default)
I have an in-service tomorrow morning. Because it's board-wide, they gear the time frames to mesh with as many schools as possible. So it starts at 8:30. My part of it will be over at 11:30, and the second in-service starts at 12:30. I only have to be at the first one, but we've booked one supply for the whole day, to cover me in the morning and another teacher in the afternoon.

The good side: I will start my day at least an hour later than usual, because I don't have to be at school at 7:00. Also, I will teach approximately seventy-five minutes total all day, because by the time most schools finish their mornings, ours is halfway through the afternoon. Tough luck for the guy going to the 12:30 in-service, but I've had to do a few of those as well. Getting the morning one is a nice bonus. I will have the car for the day, which means no slogging through the snow to pick up the baby from daycare in the afternoon, and I should be able to squeeze in a workout and some grocery shopping.

The bad side: I have to drop Elizabeth at daycare somewhat earlier than usual, because I have to be at the other end of the city with her only means of transportation, half an hour before she usually gets to daycare. I hope she's willing to wake up tomorrow. Also, I will probably need to stay a bit late tomorrow, because I am once again behind on my marking. (If I ever get caught up, I'm going to hire a skywriter to announce the miracle to the world.)

I think I'll stay up writing a bit late tonight. Say, 10:30.
velvetpage: (Default)
Piet has a couple more hours' of work to do on this contract, which of course is due at the end of the month, which of course is in a couple of hours. Piet is precise about stuff like this. :) The result is that I cannot work on my book this evening as planned.

I'm considering getting up at my usual pre-crack-of-dawn hour and spending an hour or so writing. I'll see what time I actually get into bed, and then decide.

I worked out this evening for the second time in three days - and only the third time this month. Still, it felt good.

I'm going to get a little girl into bed, and then go to bed myself. I'm certainly tired enough to sleep.