Double the kids, double the money

An Ottawa couple with twin girls has convinced the government that both mom and dad deserve full parental leave. In a groundbreaking decision, Christian Martin and Paula Critchley successfully argued that each should be able to claim full Employment Insurance benefits for one of the children, born in April. The department originally denied the claim, but it was overturned by the Employment Insurance Board of Referees. “I believe this issue to be one of fairness,” Martin said. “It is not about multiple birth parents getting more benefits than parents of single births, but rather to get the equivalent treatment since there are more babies to care for. Caring for two or more babies at once brings a lot of joy, but it is also very difficult, as I am sure most people can appreciate.” It is unclear whether the decision must be followed in all cases of multiple births.

CBC.ca