Settlement will see government pay up to $11 million

OTTAWA — The federal government will pay up to $11 million to women who say they were denied sickness benefits while they were on maternity leave.

The settlement ends a protracted legal battle with thousands of women who argued they were denied access to 15 extra weeks of employment insurance payments on top of a year’s worth of maternity benefits.

Parliament decided in 2002 to allow those extra benefits but the women say they were denied them until the Conservatives clarified the law in 2013.

The settlement is conditional on court approval that is expected to happen in early December and payments should begin flowing to eligible women by next spring.

Ottawa has not asked for any upper limit for pay outs, meaning federal coffers will pay out 100 per cent of the wrongfully denied benefits.

Lawyer Stephen Moreau says he is happy the case will come to a close and that payments should begin flowing to eligible women by next spring.

 

Originally published on payroll-reporter.com on September 12, 2018