No. Your employer cannot terminate your employment or lay you off: if you have started maternity or parental leave; or because you are entitled to maternity or parental leave. If your employer terminates you or lays you off for one of the above reasons, contact Alberta’s Employment Standards office. You may also have a human rights complaint for discrimination based on gender. Contact Alberta’s Human Rights Commission for more information. There is an exception where the employer has suspended or stopped their business (in whole or in part). In this case, if the business resumes within 52 weeks after the end of your leave, your employer must reinstate you (with the same pay and benefits) of provide you with alternative work (based on your seniority at work). You do not lose seniority or other benefits because you took a leave. If the business does not resume, you are entitled to termination pay or notice. Last Reviewed: January 2020