Mr. Chair, and members, I'll be brief, given that you have the preamble, but some folks may still be looking for a bit more information.
As you are aware, members of Parliament do not currently have access to maternity or parental leave. You do not contribute to employment insurance, and therefore, you don't have access to benefits under the Employment Insurance Act. As part of its study of ways to make Parliament a more family-friendly environment, the House of Commons procedure and House affairs committee recommended amending the Parliament of Canada Act to make maternity and parental leave possible for members of Parliament.
The amendment that the government is proposing as part of the budget implementation bill would allow for the House and the Senate to make regulations that would enable maternity and parental types of leave provisions for parliamentarians.
I am happy to answer any questions.