moved for leave to introduce Bill C-437, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code.
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table this bill today. It is a short piece of legislation that would open the definition of family member within the HRD code to include siblings and in-laws, something which was certainly an oversight by the government.
There has been a lot of talk about it. The government is paying some lip service. There have been motions by other members in the House. I am certain that this is the type of bill someone will grab and run with and that it will receive unanimous consent when we finally speak to it.
The Liberals originally announced $200 million to address this shortfall. They were not able to spend any more than close to $8 million, so there is certainly room to expand that definition.
We look forward to debate on the bill. The genesis of the bill is from a woman named Heather Chisholm in my riding. She is a seniors worker and understands the need for this type of legislation.
I look forward to speaking to the bill in the future.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)