Braedon Clark

“Protecting children online is important to me as a parent. Will the Conservatives vote to send this bill to committee so we can study it?”

“Mr. Speaker, I think it has actually been quite a productive debate this morning on this very important piece of legislation. It is obviously an issue of public policy, but I think, for many of us, it is also a personal issue. I have young children. They are nine years and six years old, so they are still too young to be in the online world, which is a positive thing, but of course all of us as parents, uncles, aunts or whatever the case might be, want to make sure children are protected. I think the member raises some interesting points. Is it her intention and the intention of the Conservative Party to support this legislation at second reading so it can move to committee and get the detailed study that I think we all agree it deserves?”

“I want the House to pass this bill. Right now, parental benefits stop if a child dies, and grieving parents must deal with paperwork and repay money. This bill lets parents keep their benefits and time off work so they can grieve without stress.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to speak in support of Bill C-222, an act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code regarding the death of a child, also known as Evan’s law. I am pleased that all members who spoke during the first hour of debate of report stage expressed their support for the proposed amendments. The revised bill demonstrates that members of Parliament share a deep commitment to Canadian parents and a common understanding that when a parent faces the unimaginable loss of a child, they expect compassion, dignity and care from us. Nothing in life is as profoundly devastating as the death of a child. It completely turns the parents’ life upside down. In such moments, parents are consumed by their grief. Bureaucracy, money and work should not stand in the way of their recovery, yet under the current framework, they often do. This is not intentional and is what Bill C-222 aims to fix. The hon. member for Burnaby North—Seymour deserves thanks for his leadership and perseverance in seeing this through and for his unwavering support to many parents across Canada. I would also like to thank the many colleagues, stakeholders, witnesses and advocates who all contributed greatly to the development and improvement of this important bill. Their voices have been essential in shaping a bill that truly reflects the reality faced by grieving parents. Our government has long recognized that balancing family and work obligations can be challenging for Canadians raising children, in addition to the financial stress that can come with it. Every parent’s situation is unique, and our support systems should be able to adapt as much as possible. Over the years, we have taken important steps to modernize EI maternity and parental benefits so that parents have more flexibility. This includes allowing maternity benefits to begin earlier, up to 12 weeks before the due date, compared to the previous eight weeks, if mothers need to begin receiving benefits earlier. It also includes offering parents a choice between standard or extended parental benefits and providing more weeks of benefits for parents who share them. These measures reflect an effort to build an EI system that is responsive, flexible and sustainable and that supports families through major life events. Grieving the death of a child is a major life event that the current EI system does not provide enough flexibility and compassion for. Losing a child is a tragedy that requires a compassionate and thoughtful response. This is exactly what the amended Bill C-222 aims to fix. Currently when a child passes away, EI parental benefits stop. If parents do not notify Service Canada, they may unknowingly incur an overpayment and therefore have to repay. Parents can transition to EI sickness benefits, but they are required to report every two weeks. This is an administrative burden that is often overwhelming for grieving parents. This is not the compassion and understanding that Canadians rightly expect from their institutions. That is why Bill C-222, with the amendments before us, aims to correct the situation. It proposes that parental benefits may continue following the death of a child, alleviating the need for parents to navigate complex administrative processes at a time when they are least able to do so. It would allow EI parental benefits to continue for up to the maximum duration already established, which is up to 40 weeks for those who select standard benefits and up to 69 weeks for those who select extended parental benefits. More importantly, for parents who would be near the end of their benefits when their child passes away, the amended bill would ensure that eligible parents may receive up to five additional weeks of benefits as bereavement support. This provision would apply to both the standard and the extended benefits that were originally chosen. These additional weeks would be paid at the same income replacement rate selected at the outset, providing continuity and predictability to parents during such a difficult time. Another important aspect of these amendments is the effort to minimize the administrative burden. While there may be some circumstances where parents would still need to notify the the Canada Employment Insurance Commission, through Service Canada, the bill would introduce a regulation-making authority to make this process simpler and more compassionate. That is a key improvement. In parallel, these amendments would also ensure that employees in the federally regulated private sector continue to have access to job-protected leave provisions under the Canada Labour Code while they avail themselves of EI parental benefits, including if they receive the additional weeks of up to five weeks. These include access to the remaining weeks of parental leave. For employees near the end of their leave at the time of the death of the child, they would be allowed to transition to the current eight weeks of bereavement leave for the death of a child, ensuring that parents do not have to choose between grieving and going to work. These legislative changes are part of a broader effort by the government to strengthen the social safety net and ensure that federal support systems are responsive to the realities that Canadians face. We have made significant investments in employment insurance and related programs, to provide meaningful assistance where it is most needed. For example, caregiving benefits have long supported Canadians who must step away from work to care for an ill or injured family member, including, of course, a child. In 2022, EI sickness benefits were expanded, extending their duration so individual families facing illness or injury have greater financial security and job protection as they recover. These changes were informed by consultations with Canadians and reflect an understanding of how caregiving responsibilities and health challenges shape people’s lives. Equally important is the work being done to improve how Canadians access these services. Making benefits easier to obtain can provide significant peace of mind, especially during times of crisis. At its peak, the EI system was managing more than one million claims during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is more than five times the usual volume. In response, the government expanded its capacity, streamlined processes and implemented new approaches. Since then, we have continued our efforts. Between 2022 and 2025, Service Canada employees worked to refine procedures, test new strategies and improve delivery. As a result, backlogs have been significantly reduced, by 73%, as of January of this year. This progress illustrates that government systems can evolve to be more responsive, efficient and compassionate. When we consider Bill C-222 and the related amendments before us, we must remember that this legislation is about people. It is about ensuring that in the moments darkest for parents, government processes are not an additional source of stress or hardship. By allowing parental benefits to continue, by simplifying requirements and by ensuring that employees in the federally-regulated private sector have access to job-protected leave, these amendments would take steps toward that goal. For all these reasons, I am pleased to support Bill C-222 with the proposed amendments, and I encourage all members of the House to do the same.”

“I want my colleague to explain why Canada's finances compared to other major countries matter for our economy.”

“Mr. Speaker, in his speech, my colleague and friend from Bourassa mentioned Canada’s fiscal position relative to other G7 countries. Can he explain why those facts are so important for our economy and our country?”

“We must support veterans and their families all year, not just on Remembrance Day. I want the Minister of Veterans Affairs to tell us how the government is honouring our service members.”

“Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, we have studied many issues of importance to veterans and their families. These discussions will continue informing our understanding of the modern veteran. They will shape how we respond to the unique realities veterans face following military service, and they remind us that we must support veterans and their families beyond just Remembrance Day on November 11. Could the Minister of Veterans Affairs share how she and our government are advancing recognition and commemoration of our service members?”

“Could the member speak about how trade helps make life more affordable, and what our government is doing to support it?”

“Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his service. He was elected to the Manitoba legislation first in 1988, as he mentioned. It was the year I was born, a lovely year. I thank the member for his lifetime of wisdom. Could he touch on the importance of trade as it relates to affordability, and our efforts on the trade system in general?”

“This bill hires 100 new health and safety officers and 26 new labour board officials to clear a backlog of cases. I want to know if the member thinks this is good for unions and workers.”

“Mr. Speaker, my colleague opposite touched on the importance of labour issues, and I wonder if he could comment on the importance of the fact that this legislation would hire 100 new health and safety officers and 26 new officials at the Canada Industrial Relations Board to clear out a backlog of cases. I wonder if he would see that as a positive move, particularly affecting unions and organized labour.”

“Canada had the highest foreign investment this year in almost 20 years, and we just got nearly half a trillion dollars more in investments. I want the member to explain how that fits with his claims about money leaving the country.”

“Madam Speaker, the member talked about capital outflow between 2015 and 2024, but I think he stopped a bit early. I wonder if he would respond to the fact that this year we have had the highest level of foreign direct investment in close to 20 years and just last month at the investment summit, Canada received almost half a trillion dollars in investments. I wonder how he would respond to that.”

“I support this bill. I want the parliamentary secretary to explain why it is important for the federal government to work closely with the provinces to carry it out.”

“Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary touched on a very important topic, of course, which is working with provinces in a spirit of co-operative federalism. As the parliamentary secretary has, I have served in a provincial legislature, in my case in Nova Scotia. I wonder if he could touch a bit on that and talk about the importance of working with provinces in a spirit of co-operation to execute on important bills such as Bill C-39.”

“How will this bill help ports in Halifax and across Canada ship goods around the world?”

“Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary and I have adjoining ridings, so of course we have a lot of overlapping interests. At the end of his speech, the parliamentary secretary touched on ports a little bit. The port of Halifax is one of the major ports in our country, with direct access to the U.S. northeast, Europe and the rest of the world. I wonder if the member could elaborate a bit more on how the bill would aid our ports, not just in Halifax but across the country, to make sure we get our goods to market all around the world.”

“I want to congratulate 10-year-old Elayce Clayton from my riding. She was chosen to dance for Canada at the Dance World Cup in Ireland.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a rising star from my riding of Sackville—Bedford—Preston. Ten-year-old Elayce Clayton from North Preston is headed to Dublin, Ireland, this July to represent team Canada at the 2026 Dance World Cup, the second-largest dance competition in the world. Elayce’s talent in dance has earned her a solo performance at the competition, where she is certain to make our community and country proud. Even at her young age, Elayce has been preparing for this moment her whole life. According to her mom, Elayce has been dancing on beat since she was just two years old. With her training in the categories of jazz, contemporary and hip hop, Elayce has an exciting dance career ahead of her, but first, she is off to Dublin, and no matter where her passion for dance takes her from there, all of us in Nova Scotia will be cheering her on. I offer my congratulations to Elayce.”

In response to a question from Martin Champoux

“The defence industry is very important to Nova Scotia. The budget gives 63 billion dollars to it.”

“Madam Speaker, my colleague’s question was very brief; I thank him for that. As I said in my speech, the defence industry is so important in Nova Scotia that the budget allocates $63 billion to it.”

“Young people are the future of Canada. What is our government doing in the spring budget update to help them stay active and build careers?”

“Mr. Speaker, we know young people are the foundation of Canada’s future. Can the Secretary of State for Labour tell the House what our government is doing through the spring economic update to invest in the next generation, ensuring they have both the opportunities to stay active and the pathway to build meaningful careers across this country?”

“I want to congratulate Anna Brozek and Moriah Aladejebi, two students from my riding who won prestigious Loran scholarships. Only 36 students across Canada received this award.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Anna Brozek and Moriah Aladejebi, two students in my riding who have been named 2026 Loran scholars. From a pool of over 5,400 applicants, the Loran Scholars Foundation recognizes just 36 young leaders who demonstrate strength of character and a deep commitment to service. Anna Brozek from Lockview High School in Fall River organizes student-led leadership conferences in Halifax. She is a former member of the Nova Scotia Youth Climate Council. She heads her school’s environment club, serves on student council, organized a youth climate seminar and helped design an indigenous student space at Lockview High. Moriah Aladejebi from Sackville High School is co-president of student council, co-captain of the varsity volleyball team and an inclusion support worker for children with disabilities. She volunteers weekly as a Sunday school teacher, organizes activities for international students and helped facilitate a Black youth-led conference. Needless to say, these are two impressive young women. On behalf of everyone in our riding, I congratulate Anna and Moriah on their great achievement.”