Niki Ashton, NDP Member of Parliament (MP) from Manitoba, has spoken out about the lack of institutional supports available to new parents on Parliament Hill following the birth of her twins in 2017. As the rules currently stand, Members of Parliament (Canadian politicians) who may be pregnant or have children:
- Are not provided parental leave (because they don’t pay in to Employment Insurance; standard parental leave in Canada includes 12-18 months off work, with reduced pay);
- Are allowed 21 days of medical leave before being docked $120 pay per day they are absent;
- If they want to take more time off than the permitted leave, each new parent has to work out an arrangement with their party leadership on a case-by-case basis; and
- Once back to work, the daycare on Parliament Hill doesn’t take children under 18 months.
Using support from at least three course texts from Term 2, take a position(s) on the parental support policies on Parliament Hill.
What’s new about this compared to the Midterm?Click to expand
Notes on how to answer this questionClick to collapse
This question is framed as a kind of “case study”; this question invites you to synthesize and apply your understanding of course concepts and readings. You are required to craft a thesis and to support that thesis using course materials. As with the Part A questions, you are not asked to merely summarize readings. Rather, you will be evaluated on your ability to select the most appropriate readings to argue your case and your ability to mobilize those readings to support the thesis you have crafted.
Support for your answers must ONLY come from course materials in Term 2. You are not permitted to use outside materials.
Tip:
In the midterm some of the applications were good but under-developed, so be sure to fully explain and use multiple points/concepts from each course text you select to support your argument.
