Bill C-222

Relieving Grieving Parents of an Administrative Burden Act (Evan's Law)

An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code (death of a child)

Sponsor

Terry Beech Liberal

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Report stage (House), as of April 22, 2026

Subscribe to a feed (what's a feed?) of speeches and votes in the House related to Bill C-222.

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment amends the Employment Insurance Act to provide that a person to whom employment insurance benefits are payable to care for a newborn child or a child placed with them for the purpose of adoption remains eligible to receive those benefits even if the child dies during the benefit period. It also amends the Canada Labour Code to extend the period of bereavement leave to which an employee is entitled in the event of the death of a child of the employee or of their spouse or common-law partner.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-222s:

C-222 (2021) An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (travel expenses deduction for tradespersons)

C-222 (2020) An Act to amend the Expropriation Act (protection of private property)

C-222 (2016) An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (Canada-Barbados Income Tax Agreement)

Votes

Feb. 4, 2026 Passed 2nd reading of Bill C-222, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code (death of a child)

Debate Summary

This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.

Bill C-222, also known as Evan's law, seeks to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code to allow parents who lose a child while receiving parental benefits to continue receiving them without interruption.

Liberal

Supports bill C-222: Supports Bill C-222, Evan's law, a private member's bill designed to provide a compassionate solution for parents who experience the tragic loss of a child.
Rectifies administrative burdens: The current system imposes a "cruel and unnecessary burden" on grieving parents by ending parental benefits or requiring constant re-qualification for sickness benefits after a child's death.
Offers compassionate and efficient solution: Evan's law allows parents to continue receiving parental benefits without interruption, eliminating administrative complexity, preventing clawbacks, and offering vital emotional and financial relief.

Conservative

Supports bill C-222: The Conservative party fully supports Bill C-222, Evan's Law, as an important measure for the government to fulfill its promises and support grieving families.
Expand parental leave benefits: The party proposes an amendment to expand the bill's scope, extending parental leave benefit protection to families where a parent dies while on leave, preventing benefit cut-offs and clawbacks.
Promote compassionate government processes: Conservatives emphasize that government must uphold its promises for parental leave benefits and ensure processes are compassionate, avoiding additional bureaucratic burdens or financial instability for grieving families.

Bloc

Supports bill C-222: The Bloc Québécois wholeheartedly supports Bill C-222, recognizing it as a humane and non-partisan measure to provide essential support to parents grieving the loss of a newborn.
Makes EI more humane: The party advocates for amending the Employment Insurance Act to remove absurd administrative burdens and ensure bereaved parents can grieve with dignity, without financial or administrative stress.
Affordability and necessity: The Bloc asserts that the EI fund can afford these changes, emphasizing that supporting families in tragedy is a fundamental social agreement, not a monetary issue.
Calls for broader EI reform: While supporting Bill C-222, the party stresses that the Employment Insurance Act is outdated and requires a comprehensive modernization to address other discriminatory aspects, such as those affecting women and seasonal workers.

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Relieving Grieving Parents of an Administrative Burden Act (Evan's Law)Private Members' Business

February 4th, 2026 / 3:40 p.m.

The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia

I declare the motion carried. Accordingly, the bill stands referred to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

(Bill read the second time and referred to a committee)