Job-protected leave · Canada
Pregnancy & parental leave by province.
How long each Canadian jurisdiction's employment/labour standards require an employer to hold a job open during pregnancy/maternity and parental leave — distinct from how many weeks EI pays in benefits.
Pregnancy/maternity leave is 16-19 weeks almost everywhere. Parental leave ranges from Nunavut's 37 weeks to Quebec's 65 weeks. Most jurisdictions land on a roughly 78-week combined maximum — except Nunavut, capped at just 52 weeks total, a genuine outlier worth knowing about.
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Pregnancy and parental leave, by jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | Pregnancy/maternity leave | Parental leave (alone) | Combined maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 16 weeks | 62 weeks | 78 weeks |
| British Columbia | 17 weeks | 62 weeks (61 if pregnancy leave also taken) | 78 weeks |
| Federal (Canada Labour Code) | 17 weeks | 63 weeks | 78 weeks |
| Manitoba | 17 weeks | 63 weeks | No stated cap |
| New Brunswick | 17 weeks | 62 weeks | 78 weeks |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 17 weeks | 61 weeks | 78 weeks |
| Northwest Territories | 17 weeks | 61 weeks | 78 weeks |
| Nova Scotia | 16 weeks | 77 weeks (61 if pregnancy leave also taken) | 77 weeks |
| Nunavut | 17 weeks | 37 weeks | 52 weeks |
| Ontario | 17 weeks | 63 weeks (61 if pregnancy leave also taken) | 78 weeks |
| Prince Edward Island | 17 weeks | 62 weeks | 78 weeks |
| Quebec | 18 weeks | 65 weeks | 85 weeks |
| Saskatchewan | 19 weeks | 71 weeks (59 if pregnancy leave also taken) | 78 weeks |
| Yukon | 17 weeks | 63 weeks | 78 weeks |
Every figure above is the EMPLOYMENT-STANDARDS job-protection length, not the EI benefit-payment schedule (a separate program — see the EI Maternity & Parental Calculator).
Discrepancies found in the primary sources themselves
- Manitoba: Manitoba’s own fact sheets state no combined ceiling for maternity + parental together -- 17 + 63 literally allows up to 80 weeks, longer than the ~78-week figure most other jurisdictions use. Reported as published rather than force-fit to the 78-week pattern.
- New Brunswick: New Brunswick’s own page states the combined maximum is 78 weeks, one week LESS than the simple sum of its own 17-week maternity + 62-week "child-care leave" figures (79). Both figures are quoted exactly as published; the 1-week gap is in the source, not introduced here.
- Prince Edward Island: PEI’s own guide states the combined maximum "cannot be more than 78 weeks," one week LESS than the simple sum of its own 17-week pregnancy + 62-week parental figures (79) -- the same 1-week pattern as New Brunswick, reported exactly as published rather than adjusted.
- Yukon: Yukon’s 78-week figure is a completion DEADLINE (parental leave must finish no later than 78 weeks after the birth/adoption), not a stated total-weeks cap -- so the simple sum of pregnancy (17) + parental (63) exceeding it (80) is not treated as an internal contradiction here, unlike New Brunswick and PEI.
Sources: each jurisdiction's own employment/labour standards guide or the Canada Labour Code, read directly 26 September 2026 — see the citation on each jurisdiction's own page.
Frequently asked questions
Is job-protected leave the same length as EI benefit payments?
No, and in Nunavut they can genuinely run out of sync: Nunavut's combined job protection is capped at 52 weeks, while EI's extended parental option pays out for up to 78 weeks (18 months) if elected. Job protection and benefit payments are governed by different laws.
Why do some provinces give a shorter parental leave to a parent who also took pregnancy leave?
Most jurisdictions design the two leaves to land on the same combined ceiling (commonly ~78 weeks) regardless of how the time is split between pregnancy and parental leave. A handful of jurisdictions (Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) instead give a flat parental-leave number to everyone, which simply stacks on top of pregnancy leave.
What about adoptive parents?
Every jurisdiction's parental leave (as distinct from pregnancy/maternity leave, which only applies to the person who was pregnant) is available to adoptive parents on the same terms as a non-birth biological parent, generally the "otherwise" figure in the table above.
Estimate only — not legal advice
This tool states the statutory MINIMUM job-protected leave length from each jurisdiction's published employment-standards legislation. It is not legal advice. For a binding answer, contact the relevant employment-standards office or a lawyer.