Kelly Block

Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 40 wordsI am pleased to rise today to discuss Private Member’s Bill C-222, an act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code with respect to the death of a child, introduced by the member for Burnaby North—Seymour.¹Procedure Thanks · 91 wordsI would like to commend the member for taking up such an important issue and for working with all sides of the House to advance this bill through Parliament. I also want to congratulate him for obtaining a royal recommendation from the government, ²which allows the bill to proceed. I would also like to acknowledge my Conservative colleague, the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, for his work in collaborating with the member for Burnaby North—Seymour to have the bill move through the various stages, including our own internal caucus review process.Thanks Claims · 161 wordsDuring his intervention in the last session, the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan provided members of the House with an excellent summary of the collaborative effort across party lines that it has taken to get to this point, with various members of different parties championing this issue at one time or another, a journey that began over a decade ago with a motion put forward by our colleague from Airdrie—Cochrane that began the conversation in the House on offering more support to parents dealing with loss.³ That motion recognized that parents who have paid into a parental leave system and then face the loss of a child should obviously not be forced immediately back to work. It highlighted the need, and it called for a system to be put in place that would allow them to continue to receive benefits that they have paid for, with, as my colleague so eloquently stated, clarity and simplicity and without disruption and red tape. Thanks · 48 wordsThe member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan is a passionate parliamentarian and carries out his duties as shadow minister for employment effectively and efficiently. I would also like to acknowledge his work to explore the issue of what happens when a parent on leave dies during the benefit period.Thanks Promise · 19 wordsWhile it is outside the scope of this bill, I do hope that this issue will also be addressed. Claims · 15 wordsThis legislation addresses a topic that many of us do not want to think about. Reasoning · 15 wordsThe loss of a child shortly after birth or adoption is an almost unbearable thought, Claims · 34 wordsyet it is a reality for so many families. In his speech at second reading, the member for Burnaby North—Seymour mentioned that approximately 1,600 families in Canada are faced with this tragedy each year.⁴ Procedure · 22 wordsI want to state for the record that I support the bill and am looking forward to its passage through the House.Procedure Promise · 27 wordsI hope that if it passes here, the other place will take up the legislation quickly so our current laws can be changed to support grieving families. Claims · 179 wordsThe purpose of the legislation is to support grieving families in two meaningful ways. First, the legislation would amend the Employment Insurance Act to allow a person who is entitled to employment insurance benefits following the birth or adoption of a child to remain eligible for those same benefits even if the child dies during the benefit period.⁵ Practically, what this means is that grieving parents would be able to continue receiving maternity or parental EI benefits for the entire period to which they would have been entitled had the tragic loss not occurred. This change means that parents would not need to apply for a different benefit because their parental EI support ended. Second, this legislation would also amend the Canada Labour Code to extend the period of bereavement leave to which someone is entitled in the event of the death of a child. The bill would ensure that if a child passes near the end of a parent’s leave period, the grieving parent would be entitled to a minimum of five weeks of leave following their loss.⁶ Positioning · 5 wordsWhy are these changes necessary?Positioning Claims · 197 wordsAs I mentioned earlier in my remarks, these proposed changes would potentially benefit 1,600 individuals, ⁷or 3,200 when you consider that when a child dies, two parents are impacted, not just the individual who was collecting EI. Additionally, the change would also benefit the families of bereaved parents. There could be other children in the family. There could be grandparents and others. What this change would do is relieve the financial pressure on the grieving couple and their loved ones. If the bill passes, people would be eligible to remain on parental EI and receive financial support as they experience and work through unexpected grief. Additionally, they would be able to stay on a form of EI that does not require biweekly reporting. Currently, grieving parents who no longer are eligible to receive parental EI may be able to access other EI supports. However, switching to a different EI stream, such as EI sickness benefits, requires a whole new claim.⁸ It requires the applicant to submit medical documentation to support the claim. Additionally, if the application is approved, the new form of EI benefit requires that reports be submitted every two weeks to justify the EI claim.⁹ Positioning · 57 wordsCan members imagine trying to put together a new EI claim at a time when we are already stressed and numb with grief? If we get the new claim submitted and it is approved, can members imagine being asked to relive their grief over and over again by having to articulate the reasoning for their EI claim?Positioning Reasoning · 85 wordsThe reason for the EI claim does not change from week to week, so it makes no sense to require parents to reapply for EI benefits that they would otherwise be entitled to receive had tragedy not struck their family. Additionally, it takes a government employee time to process biweekly reports. We do not need to add unnecessary work to the program’s administrators or red tape to those seeking these benefits. For those reasons, the proposed legislation is not just compassionate; it is common sense. Procedure · 2 wordsIn closing, ProcedureThanks · 27 wordsas a mother of four and a grandmother of 11, I am very thankful for the maternal and pediatric health care that we have in the country.¹⁰Thanks Claims · 19 wordsWe can be grateful that the measures proposed in the bill would not impact the vast majority of Canadians. Positioning · 13 wordsNot everything we do in this place needs to affect millions of Canadians.Positioning Reasoning · 20 wordsIt is important that we as parliamentarians recognize and consider the challenges that perhaps a small number of Canadians face. Claims · 22 wordsI believe the changes proposed in the legislation are going to make a huge difference for those who find themselves requiring it. Procedure · 9 wordsAs I mentioned earlier, I do support the bill, ProcedurePromise · 12 wordsand I look forward to voting in favour of it very soon.