The federal government will not appeal the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision, which ruled in favour of workers on maternity leave who had lost their jobs and were denied access to regular employment insurance benefits. Last September, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the contested provisions of the Employment Insurance Act violated the Charter of Rights and were discriminatory. The case involves women who lose their jobs during or shortly after their maternity leave—due to a mass layoff or job elimination, for example—and who are unable to receive regular Employment Insurance benefits, either in full or in part, because they did not accumulate enough insurable hours while on maternity leave. When contacted on Tuesday, Employment and Social Development Canada confirmed that it would not appeal the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision. “Over the next year, the Government of Canada will work on solutions to improve the Employment Insurance system to better meet the needs of a modern workforce—including working parents—through flexible and reliable support measures,” said the office of Patty Hajdu, Canada’s Minister of Employment and Family. It’s a major victory for the six mothers who have been fighting since 2018 to change the law. The Montreal Unemployment Action Movement, which supported them, hopes this will be an opportunity to thoroughly review the Employment Insurance Act. - This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 10, 2026.
