COVER STORY - PARENTAL BENEFITS: windfall for foreign workers?

The number of claims for maternity and paternity benefits from seasonal workers is rising. And, some say, the program is open to fraud. What’s more, it puts Canada at a disadvantage with its U.S. competitor

by SUZANNE DEUTSCH

Adrian de Boer employs two foreign farm workers on his 110-acre wholesale tree nursery north of Markham and Stouffville, and in 2009 both applied for Canadian parental benefits.

While it is unusual for 100 per cent of a producer’s foreign workforce to apply for these benefits, the program has become tremendously popular.

Better Farming - April 2010