Calgary Shepard Conservative MP Tom Kmiec – who suffered through the death of his infant – has tabled a private member’s bill in the Commons looking to dramatically expand bereavement leave..Kmiec wants to see 8 weeks given for parents who have experienced a stillbirth, the death of a child under the age of 18, or the death of a disabled child in the parent’s care..The current bereavement system outlined in the Canada Labour Code only includes a generic three days of paid leave and two days of unpaid leave..“This is unfair, unsympathetic, and unrealistic for parents to make arrangements and grieve following the death of a child,” said Kmiec in a Thursday statement..He said in June 2018, MP Blake Richards passed Motion M-110 in the Commons calling for a study on the impacts of the loss of an infant child. This study showed a glaring failure of government programming to address the needs of parents who experience the loss of a child..In November 2018, Kmiec and Richards put forward a motion at the Finance Committee that would have expanded bereavement leave in Budget 2018. Every single Liberal member of the Committee voted against it..“Bill C-307 is a compassionate bill that will support parents during unexpected times when they need help the most. No grieving parent should have to deal with a cold, heartless bureaucracy,” said Kmiec..“I know firsthand the need for an expanded bereavement leave. My daughter, Lucy-Rose passed away in August of 2018, after only living for 39 days. No parent expects or plans to need job-protected bereavement leave, but if they need it, the system should be simple, fair, and compassionate..“The current system fails parents during the time when they need compassion the most. I know three days of paid and two days of unpaid bereavement leave is not enough time to grieve, make funeral arrangements or care for family members following the death of their child. This legislation is a first step in ensuring that parents have the support they need to grieve following the death of their child..“I had constituents reach out to me after the loss of their infant daughter, who passed while they were on parental leave. While they were experiencing any parent’s worst nightmare, they were also being forced to immediately deal with a cold, bureaucratic federal government processes..“They were required to immediately return to work. Their parental benefits were cut off the day that their child had passed. If they did not immediately inform the federal government of the loss and subsequently received any payments, they would have been required to repay them. Repayment had to be done in person, as there was no other way to do it. It could not be done online or over the phone. No grieving parent should have to deal with a cold heartless bureaucracy.”.Opposition private member’s bills are rarely passed by governments..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
Calgary Shepard Conservative MP Tom Kmiec – who suffered through the death of his infant – has tabled a private member’s bill in the Commons looking to dramatically expand bereavement leave..Kmiec wants to see 8 weeks given for parents who have experienced a stillbirth, the death of a child under the age of 18, or the death of a disabled child in the parent’s care..The current bereavement system outlined in the Canada Labour Code only includes a generic three days of paid leave and two days of unpaid leave..“This is unfair, unsympathetic, and unrealistic for parents to make arrangements and grieve following the death of a child,” said Kmiec in a Thursday statement..He said in June 2018, MP Blake Richards passed Motion M-110 in the Commons calling for a study on the impacts of the loss of an infant child. This study showed a glaring failure of government programming to address the needs of parents who experience the loss of a child..In November 2018, Kmiec and Richards put forward a motion at the Finance Committee that would have expanded bereavement leave in Budget 2018. Every single Liberal member of the Committee voted against it..“Bill C-307 is a compassionate bill that will support parents during unexpected times when they need help the most. No grieving parent should have to deal with a cold, heartless bureaucracy,” said Kmiec..“I know firsthand the need for an expanded bereavement leave. My daughter, Lucy-Rose passed away in August of 2018, after only living for 39 days. No parent expects or plans to need job-protected bereavement leave, but if they need it, the system should be simple, fair, and compassionate..“The current system fails parents during the time when they need compassion the most. I know three days of paid and two days of unpaid bereavement leave is not enough time to grieve, make funeral arrangements or care for family members following the death of their child. This legislation is a first step in ensuring that parents have the support they need to grieve following the death of their child..“I had constituents reach out to me after the loss of their infant daughter, who passed while they were on parental leave. While they were experiencing any parent’s worst nightmare, they were also being forced to immediately deal with a cold, bureaucratic federal government processes..“They were required to immediately return to work. Their parental benefits were cut off the day that their child had passed. If they did not immediately inform the federal government of the loss and subsequently received any payments, they would have been required to repay them. Repayment had to be done in person, as there was no other way to do it. It could not be done online or over the phone. No grieving parent should have to deal with a cold heartless bureaucracy.”.Opposition private member’s bills are rarely passed by governments..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
