Compas Poll / Survey

The possibility of the extension of maternity leave to two years, as proposed by government leaders last week, proved to be a hot topic among Canada’s CEOs and business leaders. This week’s National Post/Chamber/CIBC poll generated the greatest number of passionate responses, and the lowest dropout rate in recent history.

In the eyes of respondents, the two key aspects of maternity leave are the perceived benefits for family life and the perceived harm to business life. On these issues, male and female business leaders express opinions that suggest that they come from different planets. Men focus in an almost laser-like fashion on the harm to business, especially small business, while women see both sides of the issue.

These are the key findings from the current web-survey of CEOs and other business leaders conducted by COMPAS on behalf of the National Post under sponsorship of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and CIBC Small Business.