Thanks so much, Chair.
My first question will be for Ms. MacNaughton.
Kathy, it's wonderful to see you here. Thank you so much for giving your heart-wrenching testimony. It serves as a reminder that there's a human impact behind all the policies that we get to debate in Parliament, and I think we would all do well to remember your testimony when we think about various issues that come across our plate in our day-to-day work.
One of the things that I think is important.... Look, you've told your story better than I ever could, and I thank you for letting me be part of it. I think you were very generous in your comments, but to the extent any credit is owed here, it's squarely on you. One of the things I've been blown away with from the time that I met you was your persistence on this issue and the fact that you described yourself as an ordinary woman from Westville who has helped make this change.
For those who might be tuning in today, Kathy showed up with a shirt that read, “Ask me about David's Cause” at an event we hosted when the Prime Minister was visiting. When she heard that Minister Duclos, who was previously responsible for the EI file, was coming to the town of Antigonish, she drove down the highway so she could get a chance to make her case there. She met with our former colleague, Mark Eyking, who's been alive to this issue for a number of years and, more recently, she connected with the Canadian Cancer Society, which was working simultaneously on this issue and started using the language of David's Cause in their communications.
Kathy, this is a remarkable example of an individual launching an advocacy campaign that really caught on, and I think you can take some faith from my opposition colleagues today that there is cross-partisan support for this initiative, which is absolutely terrific.
Can you share a message with Canadians who might be tuned in about the importance of advocating for a cause you believe in, though you may just be an ordinary woman from Westville?