There’s no clock on the grief of losing an infant, but there is a deadline to return to work

Pregnancy and infant loss affect thousands of Canadian families each year .

Yet after a loss, many find themselves navigating not only grief but a complicated system of employment leaves and income benefits.

The protections and supports available are far from consistent across Canada.

They vary by region, the timing of the loss, parental role and employment circumstances.

The impact of a loss can extend beyond grief itself, affecting health, well-being and people’s ability to work .

These impacts carry financial consequences for individuals, families and employers alike.

Policy reform is now getting more attention, but we know surprisingly little about how much grief actually affects people’s working lives.

And without that evidence, it’s hard to tell whether new policies will help the people who need them.

A patchwork of protections Provincial and territorial employment standards largely govern job-protected leave, while income support through employment insurance (EI) falls under the federal system.

Québec is the exception on the benefits side.

For example, British Columbia offers up to six weeks of job-protected leave following a pregnancy loss.

Québec ties entitlement more closely to timing: up to three weeks for a loss before 20 weeks of gestation, rising to about 18 weeks (the province’s full maternity leave) for a loss at or after 20 weeks.

Regional differences appear again in provisions following an infant loss.

B.C. and Ontario offer up to 104 weeks of leave after the death of a child, no matter the cause.