Extending maternity leave won’t help women returning to work – The Globe and Mail

Canada will, over the next few years, seek to adopt an 18-month parental leave, an increase of six months. It will come with many potential benefits, such as a longer bonding time for the child and parent (usually the mother), and allowing more time for parents to look for child care. It might even entice more parents to split the time off between them. But there is no extra money – the same amount is just stretched out longer.