Mr. Speaker, on April 24, I rose in the House to once again remind the government of its commitments regarding EI sickness benefits, which are currently limited to 15 weeks. Nine years have already passed since Marie-Hélène Dubé brought this to the attention of members of the House with her petition entitled “15 weeks to heal is not enough!”. I want to commend her for her courage and determination.

Just like the one million Canadians who supported this petition, I believe that 15 weeks is not nearly enough, especially for people with serious illnesses. That is why the NDP is proposing to extend the benefit period to 50 weeks. The employment insurance system as it exists today creates real injustice.

People do not choose to become ill. Can we accept the fact that we are letting some Canadians live in precarious circumstances because they are ill? Statistics show that one in two Canadians is at risk for cancer. How can this government be insensitive to the fate of half the population?

Marie-Hélène Dubé, who has had cancer three times, lost her job while fighting for her life. Hers is not an isolated case. Some people have lost everything, including their home and life savings. On top of struggling to get better, they have to cope with losing everything, but what is this government doing to support them? Nothing.

One of my constituents, Mélanie Pelletier, exhausted her 15 weeks of EI sickness benefits. Mélanie has told me how hard things are getting. She said she is no longer living, she is just surviving. Stress, anxiety and pain are the reality that Mélanie and many people like her are facing, with no support or attention from this government. Speaking for myself, I cannot remain unmoved by the plight of people like Marie-Hélène and Mélanie. I want concrete action. I want results. I want this government to show some compassion. I want this government to keep its promises and improve EI sickness benefits.

The government's figures clearly show that more than one-third of people applying for EI sickness benefits need more than 15 weeks to recover. These figures come from the ministry of families, children and social development. In 2015, the Liberal Party based its campaign on EI reform. In 2016, it promised to improve sickness benefits, but to date it has done nothing.

To make matters worse, the Minister of Social Development was there when I moved the motion asking that the issue be examined and that experts and groups representing unemployed and sick workers be called upon to make recommendations to the government. The Liberal members of the committee refused to vote on the study and dismissed out of hand the opportunity to finally move forward. Extending the benefit period to 50 weeks would give Canadians a chance to heal.

Will the government finally keep its promises and accept its responsibilities or does it intend to continue to turn its back on the most fragile among us, those who are suffering, those who are asking for just a few more weeks so that they can heal?

Brigitte Sansoucy

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