Press Release

Measures to Improve the Experience of Parenthood for Fathers

 Montreal, June 11, 2018 – The Regroupement pour la Valorisation de la Paternité (RVP) today unveiled a series of public policy proposals in order to offer Quebec fathers conditions that will allow them to experience fatherhood to the fullest. These proposals aim at reducing certain impediments that hinder the capacity of fathers to be involved with their children and family as much as they wish.

“Today’s fathers wish to increase their involvement in their children’s lives. They want to team up with their partner and take an active role in all aspects of parenting,” says Raymond Villeneuve, director of the RVP. “However, several obstacles exist that make it hard for fatherhood to be recognized or valued as much as motherhood in Quebec society. That is why we are presenting a number of proposals, which in our opinion are necessary actions for the advent of a more equal parenting.”i

5 Challenges, 5 Series of Measures for Fathers

In its series of proposals presented at the launching of the 2018 Quebec Fatherhood Week, the RVP identified five (5) issues that illustrate specific challenges faced by fathers who hope to experience parenting to the fullest.

• Preparing to be a parent – The experience of a father during pregnancy is different from that of the biological mother, and this must be taken into account in order to better prepare fathers for parenthood.
• Parental leave – Fathers don’t take advantage as much as mothers of the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP), depriving them of precious time to develop a father-child bond in the first months of life.
• Family–work balance – It is often hard for fathers to take advantage of various measures favouring family–work balance without undergoing judgment or suffering prejudice.
• Family services and the realities of fatherhood – Fathers often have the impression that family services offered by the health and social services network, the education system, and the family sector aren’t geared enough toward them.
• Family Law – The father-child bond can be weakened following a separation.

 The proposed solutions include a revision of prenatal courses; the increase to 8 weeks of parental leave for fathers (instead of the current 5 weeks); the implementation of a campaign promoting equal parenting; support in the workplace, especially where it is predominantly male, for the adoption of better practices of family–work balance; clear ministerial instructions to adapt government services to the realities of fatherhood; better accessibility to the family justice system; and the adjustment of Family Law to meet new family realities.

The complete series of the RVP’s proposals can be consulted here (in French): www.rvpaternite.org

About the Regroupement pour la Valorisation de la Paternité (RVP)

The RVP is a collective of nearly 250 organizations and individuals from all regions of Quebec, whose mandate is to promote the family-centered involvement of fathers in the well-being of their children, respecting the principle of equality between women and men. The RVP also advocates the integration of the realities of fatherhood within Quebec family services and public policy.