Ottawa, ON – Today, Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for Employment, released the following statement on Conservative support for Bill C-222:
“Today, too many families who pay into the EI system and are eligible for EI parental benefits lose those benefits if the child or the parent on leave passes away. In these tragic circumstances, benefits are taken from those who can least afford to lose them.
“Conservatives have long proposed changes to this system. Unfortunately, Liberals have fought these efforts every step of the way. We are happy to see a step in the right direction with Private Member’s Bill C-222, that finally offers the continuation of benefits if a child dies.
“However, this bill does not protect benefits if a parent dies. A family that pays into the system should never lose benefits they paid for at the time they need them most.
“That’s why Conservatives are announcing that, while supporting Bill C-222, we will seek to expand the bill to protect access to benefits in the case where a parent dies. We have long fought to reform the EI system to support grieving Canadians, and we are taking the lead again.
“Conservatives are ready to work with all parties to expand and pass this bill to protect all families as they grieve the loss of a partner or child. We hope other parties will work with us to get this done.”