Recently, we had the example of a lady who was fighting a battle over sickness benefits. Mr. Gérard-Raymond Blais talks about stress. Obviously, it can cause illnesses that, in the absence of that stress, were not as prevalent in society, such as cancer, heart attacks, embolisms, etc.
Employment insurance provides 15 weeks of sickness benefits. For about a year now, groups that defend the unemployed have been fighting to secure an increase in the number of weeks of sickness benefits from the federal government, but this demand does not seem to have been very well received, since nothing is being done right now to try and respond to that new reality. There are more and more people being diagnosed with cancer.
As the gentleman was saying, it costs a lot of money to receive care in the region, because you have to go to Rimouski or Quebec City. There is no isolation allowance to compensate for those expenses. All of that just adds to the gloomy atmosphere and insecurity that everyone has been talking about this morning.
I really do not know how we will be able to support these people, who represent a considerable proportion of the population in our region. I am receiving more and more calls from people who say they are entitled to 10 or 12 weeks, that they only have 3 weeks of sickness benefits left, and that their treatment will take 3, 4 or 5 months. They are wondering what is going to happen to them. Employment insurance certainly cannot continue to provide income replacement, since they are neither available or able to work. So, these people find themselves in what is an impossible situation.