Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of Parliament.
On behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society, thank you for the opportunity to appear before the committee today.
My name is Kelly Masotti. I'm the vice-president of advocacy. With me is Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst, and Stephen Piazza, senior manager of advocacy.
In our testimony we would like to emphasize two provisions in Bill C-30 that we strongly support. These are an extension of the employment insurance sickness benefit from 15 to 26 weeks, as outlined in part 4, division 36, of the bill, and the increase in tobacco taxes, as outlined in part 3 of the bill.
Bill C-30 includes a much-needed commitment to the extension of the employment insurance sickness benefit to support people facing the financial burden that comes with a cancer diagnosis. The proposed extension from 15 to 26 weeks will have a very positive impact on people living with cancer, and we strongly encourage all MPs to support this important change.
When Canadians face cancer, their struggle is not just medical but also financial. In addition to a decrease in income, they also face a rise in expenses, such as for medications, medical travel, parking and home care costs. The stress of this financial burden affects their emotional well-being and therefore their psychosocial needs.
As Canadians live longer and have longer careers, more people are likely to develop an illness while in the workforce. With nearly one in two Canadians expected to develop cancer in their lifetime and more than one million Canadians living with and beyond cancer, there is a critical need to provide additional support.
This extension will have a major impact on the lives of those living with cancer. At 26 weeks, it will align with the compassionate care benefit for caregivers, which was extended in 2016.
National Ipsos polling data found that 88% of Canadians support extending the sickness benefit to 26 weeks, whether funded by employers or out of their own pocket. Similarly, 84% support an extension to 50 weeks.
It is estimated that 77% of sickness benefit claimants who exhaust the 15 weeks do not return to work immediately. About three-quarters of these claimants took at least an additional 26 weeks off work.
For the hundreds of thousands of Canadians living with cancer, financial burden and illness are a day-to-day reality. The issue has only been heightened as a result of COVID, and supports for those with cancer have never been needed more.
I will now turn things over to Rob regarding tobacco taxes.