That's not true. With parental leave, you can call EI and extend your leave up to 18 months. The remainder of the balance within the 12 month period will then get stretched out over the period of 18 months and adjusted at the 18 month rate. The truth is that the difference between the 18 and 12 month rate is very negligible, so it will just mean you get much less per month, especially if you were getting near the end of your leave.

If the dad has any top up benefits through his employment, it may be more beneficial for him to complete the rest of the leave if overall family budget and responsibilities can allow it.

Also remember that if you do take the unpaid leave option, your net income will be significantly less, so your taxes at the end of the year will also reflect that potentially allowing you to get a much overall return to offset that balance.