Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my colleagues, particularly the hon. member for Verchères—Les Patriotes, for her positive contribution to the deliberations we must have as MPs regarding the issue of parental leave in cases of multiple births or adoptions. This is an important debate, one that must reflect the reality of modern families when it comes to balancing labour market demands and the needs of families.
In Canada, multiple births are on the rise. Over 100,000 children under 13 were born in a multiple birth. Of those children, 41,000 are under five years old. Between 1974 and 1990, the number of twin births rose by 35% and the number of triplets and quadruplets jumped by 250%.
Multiple birth babies represent 2% of births in Canada, but they account for 16% of all low birth weight babies. Just under 50% of twins are born prematurely or are underweight, and that percentage rises to 90% in the case of triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets. These babies need more attention and care.
Low birth weight and premature babies need more assistance than full-term babies, especially if they are very small or born at less than 35 weeks gestation. Premature babies need help surviving outside of their mother's womb. They might have special needs because certain parts of their bodies may not have had the time to develop fully. Preemies can have difficulty breathing because their lungs are not fully developed. They often have difficulty breathing, feeding and maintaining their body temperature. In hospital, they will often be placed in an incubator in order to keep their body temperature up.
Premature births represent a serious public health concern because they are the leading cause of infant mortality in many countries. Premature births are very costly, both for our health care system and for the families involved.
As the member for Verchères—Les Patriotes said, these families face enormous and constant challenges. Babies born in a multiple birth are often premature and experience developmental problems and lasting effects. These families are often under increased physical and financial stress. The NDP wants to give them a break and support them from the beginning.
In North America, the rate of premature births has increased over the past few decades. Many factors, including delayed child-bearing and the use of assisted human reproductive technologies, have contributed to the rise in multiple and premature births. The growth in the number of obstetrical interventions, namely those related to premature births for medical reasons, is the main reason for this increase. In Canada, the rate of premature births has steadily increased from about 6% in the early 1980s to 8% in the past few years.
Mothers living in low-income neighbourhoods can experience many social and economic disadvantages. In poor neighbourhoods, there is a higher rate of unemployment, a lower level of education, and a high rate of tobacco, alcohol and drug use. Clearly, these mothers will need more support.
Normally, under Canadian legislation, parents can take a total of 35 weeks of parental leave following the birth or adoption of a child while receiving the benefits set out in Canada's Employment Insurance Act. These measures apply regardless of the number of children that are born or adopted at the same time. That is already within the purview of Canada's employment insurance program.
The Canada Labour Code allows natural and adoptive parents to take parental leave of up to 37 weeks under the same conditions as maternity leave, that is that employees, including managers and professionals, are entitled to 17 weeks of maternity leave if they have completed at least six consecutive months of continuous employment with the same employer before their leave begins.
The employee can take this leave any time during the period that begins 11 weeks before the expected date of delivery and ends 17 weeks after the actual delivery date. Female employees who have given birth can take both maternity and parental leave, but only one period of time for each type of leave. Employees who want to take parental leave must do so in one block of continuous time that is not interspersed with periods of work.
Furthermore, an employee, a mother or father, who takes care of a newborn or newly adopted child is entitled to parental leave of up to 37 weeks, as was said earlier. However, the total length of maternity leave or parental leave must not exceed 52 weeks.
What the member for Verchères—Les Patriotes is seeking in this bill is not something that is new elsewhere in the world. For example, in Luxembourg, parental leave is an individual right for both parents, if they both work. Each parent who meets the qualifying conditions is entitled, on his or her request, to six months of full-time parental leave per child. In cases of multiple births or adoption, the length of leave is multiplied by the number of children from the same birth or adoption. If there are four children, it is multiplied by four.
A Norwegian father will soon be able to take 14 weeks’ leave to care for his newborn child and receive 100% of his salary. A member party of the government coalition announced on Friday, October 5, 2012, that the government would extend parental leave by two weeks to 49 weeks with full pay and to 59 weeks at 80% of salary. We are nowhere near that.
In Norway, parental leave includes maternity leave and paternity leave. Of those 49 weeks, the father's small share, which is not transferable to the mother, will be increased from 12 to 14 weeks. That measure, which will come into force on July 1, 2013, was officially announced in the finance bill introduced on October 8, 2012. The purpose of this provision is to involve men to a greater degree in child-rearing, but also to reduce professional gender inequalities, since mothers are often penalized for being absent from their jobs for extended periods of time. This will make the Norwegian system one of the most generous in the world.
The current state of affairs is a problem. Canada is no longer a leader in child welfare. It ranks in the bottom third of OECD countries for child mortality, health, safety and poverty. Canada may have been a leader in 1971, but it will have to catch up in 2013.
The social determinants of health are increasingly being recognized and studied. Several organizations that focus on health are examining them. One of those organizations, and not the least of them, is the World Health Organization. The WHO defines the social determinants of health as the circumstances in which individuals are born, grow up, live, work and age, as well as the systems put in place to deal with illness.
We know that parents who give birth to twins and triplets find it much harder to manage. Parental leave makes it possible for the parents of young children to interrupt or limit their professional careers so that they can be with their children at important points in the child's development and have the assurance that they can return to their jobs when their leave expires.
In closing, in view of the sharp increase in the number of multiple births in Quebec and Canada, the member for Verchères—Les Patriotes has introduced a private member's bill to provide financial support for families in the case of multiple births or adoptions. The member is making children our main priority. The NDP supports her. The public and, especially, parents who have experienced multiple births support her as well. I thank her.
