Minister’s mat leave makes history
OTTAWA — Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould is about to become the first federal cabinet minister in history to take a maternity leave.
Gould is expecting her first child in early March and will go on leave until at least May after the baby is born. Treasury Board president Scott Brison will assume her cabinet duties in her absence.
“I look forward to joining other new parents in the House of Commons who prove each and every day that it is possible to have a career in politics and start a family,” Gould said Friday on Twitter.
Gould will be in the House of Commons next week before returning to her home in Burlington to await the arrival of her baby, a spokeswoman said. She will work from home and stay on as minister until the baby is born, at which time Brison will take over.
“Part of encouraging the next generation of young women to run for office is demonstrating that our institutions are modern, family-friendly, and that the experiences they bring to the table will contribute to their success,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.
Trudeau has left it up to Gould to decide when she will return, the spokeswoman said.
MPs and cabinet ministers do not pay into employment insurance and don’t officially qualify for maternity leave, but can work out an arrangement with their party leadership to take time beyond the 21 days of medical leave afforded any MP.
Gould might be the first cabinet minister to ever have a baby in office, but the way was paved by female MPs long before her.
In 1987 — coincidentally, the year Gould was born — Liberal Sheila Copps became the first sitting MP to give birth.
A little over a decade later, NDP MP Michelle Dockrill became the first MP to bring her baby into the House of Commons for a vote.
As the average age of MPs in the House goes down, and the number of women seeking and winning public office grows, the number of Commons babies is on the rise: at least seven other women have had children as members of Parliament in the past five years.