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EI and leave after child death

C-222 Relieving Grieving Parents of an Administrative Burden Act (Evan's Law): An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code (death of a child)

Keeps parental leave and employment insurance benefits in place for parents if a newborn or adopted child dies.

What Bill C-222 would do

The bill would allow a person receiving Employment Insurance benefits to care for a newborn or newly adopted child to keep receiving those benefits if the child dies during that period. It would also amend the Canada Labour Code so that an employee remains entitled to maternity or parental leave if the child dies during their leave.

Official text

Official summary

This enactment amends the Employment Insurance Act to provide that a person to whom employment insurance benefits are payable to care for a newborn child or a child placed with them for the purpose of adoption remains eligible to receive those benefits even if the child dies during the benefit period. It also amends the Canada Labour Code to provide that an employee who is entitled to maternity leave or to parental leave to care for a newborn child or a child who is in their care for the purpose of adoption remains entitled to the maternity leave or the parental leave even if the child dies during the period for which leave has been granted.

The government's summary, printed at the front of the bill as introduced.

Kind
Private member's bill
Sponsor
Terry Beech, Member of Parliament (Burnaby North—Seymour)
Introduced
in the House of Commons
Last activity

Where it stands

  1. ProposedSep 18, 2025
  2. Being debated
  3. Almost lawsince Oct 28 Exact stageAt second reading in the Senate · since October 29, 2026The elected House of Commons has passed it; the Senate is reviewing it.
  4. Law

Passed the House; now in the Senate, waiting for debate there

  1. First reading in the House done

    Before the House on 1 sitting day,

  2. Second reading in the House done

    Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

    Before the House on 3 sitting days, to

    2nd reading and referral to committee - HUMA: agreed to, 331–⁠0 (division 64),

  3. Committee in the House done

    Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

    Before the House on 1 sitting day,

  4. Report stage in the House done

    Before the House on 2 sitting days, to · 3 debates here

  5. Third reading in the House done

    Before the House on 2 sitting days, to

    3rd reading: agreed to, 325–⁠0 (division 187),

  6. First reading in the Senate done

    Before the Senate on 1 sitting day,

  7. Second reading in the Senate now

  8. Third reading in the Senate not yet

  9. Royal assent not yet

Exact procedural stages

Officially: At second reading in the Senate · since October 29, 2026.

  1. House
  2. Senate
  3. Royal assent

Debates in the House 3

Members who spoke: Liberal 5 Conservative 5 Bloc Québécois 2

Report stage 3

  1. Private Members' Business: Motions in amendment

    · Sitting 125 · 9 statements · 7 graded

    8 members spoke

  2. Relieving Grieving Parents of an Administrative Burden Act (Evan's Law)

    · Sitting 156 · 2 statements · 2 graded

    2 members spoke

  3. Relieving Grieving Parents of an Administrative Burden Act (Evan's Law)

    · Sitting 156 · 4 statements · 2 graded

    3 members spoke

Also raised in 1

Question Period, members' statements and other debates where the bill came up.

Show 1

  1. Private Members' Business

    · Private Members' Business · named 1 time

Discussion

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Comment rules

Status, stages and votes from LEGISinfo. Debates are linked from the House's own record of what was before it. Grades are the site's analysis of each statement.