Care of family
Who to notify
Notify your manager at least 4 weeks before your leave or as far in advance as possible.
Note
Approval of leave without pay for care of your family is not discretionary. In other words, this leave will be granted upon request.
Duration of leave
The minimum amount of time you can request to be on leave without pay for the care of family is 3 weeks. The total leave you may request for the care of family is 5 years during your total period of employment in the public service.
Note
Some collective agreements contain a clause where time off without pay for the care and nurturing and/or long-term care of a parent will not count toward the 5 year limit of the care of family leave entitlement.
There may be exceptions to the time periods; however, you must provide proof that you are in receipt of or are awaiting employment insurance compassionate care benefits. Refer to the relevant authorities such as your collective agreement and the various terms and conditions of employment specific to your classification group for additional information.
Record your leave
It is your responsibility to request and receive authorization for any absences from the office through your departmental leave system.
If you cannot access your departmental leave system, complete the leave application and absence report (accessible only on the Government of Canada network) and submit it to your manager. Either your manager or trusted source will then forward the authorized leave request form to the Pay Centre for recording your leave usage.
Once your leave is approved, your manager will notify your departmental human resources section, who will in turn provide the necessary information to the Pay Centre under cover of a pay action request form. The Pay Centre will take the appropriate action to temporarily stop your salary and provide you with detailed information about the effects of your leave without pay on your pay and any related benefits or insurances.
Claim employment insurance
A web-based record of employment will be completed on your behalf and retained at Employment and Social Development Canada. If you wish to make a claim for employment insurance, you will need this record to establish your eligibility and level of benefits. Find out more at Employment Insurance: Regular benefits.
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