Pregnancy and Parental Leave: Canada vs Italy

Canada and Italy both protect new parents’ jobs for long periods, but they pay for it differently. In Canada, the employer’s obligation under the ESA is to hold the job; income comes from federal EI (or QPIP in Quebec). In Italy, maternity is compulsory, paid at 80% through payroll, and often topped up by the employer under the CCNL. Full comparison on Italy vs Canada .

Canada (Ontario)  

• Pregnancy leave: up to 17 weeks, unpaid by the employer. The employee must have started at least 13 weeks before the due date.
• Parental leave: up to 61 weeks for a birth mother who took pregnancy leave, 63 weeks for other parents; unpaid by the employer; must start within 78 weeks of the birth or placement.
• Pay: federal EI maternity and parental benefits, funded by EI premiums (employer $2.28 per $100 of insurable earnings in 2026, up to $68,900). Some employers top up EI by contract.
• Quebec runs its own plan (QPIP), which is why Quebec EI premiums are lower.

The leave is job-protected, and benefits plans and seniority continue.

Italy  

The Consolidated Act on parenthood (D.Lgs. 151/2001) sets:

• Maternity leave (congedo di maternità): 5 months, compulsory, normally 2 months before and 3 after the birth (or 1 + 4, or all after the birth with medical approval). Paid at 80% of pay by INPS, advanced by the employer through payroll. Many CCNLs require the employer to top up to 100%.
• Paternity leave (congedo di paternità): 10 working days at 100%, to be taken between two months before and five months after the birth.
• Parental leave (congedo parentale): up to 9 months combined between parents (each up to 3 non-transferable), paid at 30%, with 3 months at 80% if taken within the child’s 6th year; usable until the child is 14 from 2026 (art. 34).
• Rest periods: two hours a day of paid breastfeeding rest in the first year for full-time workers.
• Dismissal protection: dismissal is void from the start of pregnancy until the child turns one, except in narrow cases such as business closure.

During maternity leave, the employee continues to accrue TFR, the 13th month and seniority.

Side by side  

Planning for cover  

In Canada, a year or more of parental leave is common, and employers plan for long cover. In Italy, the compulsory five months is followed by shorter, more flexible parental leave, often taken in blocks or by hours. Expect a shorter absence than in Canada but a less flexible start date, and budget for any CCNL top-up. Fixed-term replacement contracts are allowed to cover maternity.

Common questions from Canadian employers  

Does the employer pay maternity leave in Italy? The employer advances the INPS 80% in payroll and offsets it against contributions. The net cost is any CCNL top-up plus accruals like TFR and the 13th month.

Can an employee on leave be made redundant? Generally not until the child turns one.

Can we ask about pregnancy plans at hiring? No. It is discriminatory in Italy as in Canada.

Does the Canada–Italy social security agreement cover parental benefits? No; it covers pensions. A locally hired Italian employee is covered by INPS.

Can the father take leave at the same time as the mother? Yes. Paternity leave is designed to be taken around the birth, and parental leave can be taken by both parents, even simultaneously, within the overall limits.

Can parental leave be taken by hours? Yes. The CCNL usually allows parental leave by the hour or by the day, which makes it easier to combine with part-time work after the compulsory period.

Is part-time after maternity a right? Parents of young children have priority for part-time conversion in many cases, and the CCNL often adds further rights. Plan how the role can adapt.

Timeline: an example  

Consider an employee in Milan expecting a baby in May. Under the usual 2 + 3 option, compulsory maternity starts in March and ends in August, paid at 80% through payroll and topped up if the CCNL requires. The other parent, if employed in Italy, takes 10 working days of paternity leave around the birth. From September, the mother may take some of her parental leave, perhaps two months at 80% while the child is small, then return full-time, keeping the remaining months for later years, for example during school holidays, until the child is 14.

A Canadian employee in Ontario in the same situation might take 17 weeks of pregnancy leave and most of the 61 weeks of parental leave in one block, with EI paying the benefit and the employer simply holding the job. For a manager planning cover, the Italian pattern means a shorter but fixed absence at the start and shorter, scattered absences afterwards.

Costs the employer actually bears  

In Italy, the employer’s net cost during maternity is usually limited to the CCNL top-up (the 20% between INPS and full pay, where required), plus items that keep accruing: TFR, the 13th month, and annual leave. INPS reimburses the 80% by offsetting it against monthly contributions, so cash flow is neutral. In Canada, the employer’s direct cost is usually zero unless it offers an EI top-up by contract, but it continues benefits plan contributions during the leave.

What this means if you hire through an EOR  

The EOR handles the INPS maternity, paternity and parental leave applications, advances the payments in payroll, applies CCNL top-ups and protects the employee’s rights on return. You plan cover for the role. See the cost calculator , Italian employment contracts , other countries or contact us .

Related guides for companies in Canada  

• Vacation, sick leave and hours: Canada vs Italy
• CPP and EI vs INPS: the real employer cost
• Reasonable notice in Canada vs dismissal rules in Italy

General information, not legal advice.