Okay.
Today I'd like to outline the circumstances surrounding my application for and subsequent denial of parental benefits. Specifically, I would like to highlight an omission in the Employment Insurance Act that is negatively impacting the lives of many operational veterans currently serving in the Canadian Forces and their families.
On October 31, 2003, my wife, Anne, announced that she was pregnant with our first child. A few days later, I was informed by my career manager that I had been selected for a year-long deployment as a member of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights, Israeli-occupied Syria, starting the following summer.
Following a lengthy period of training, I returned home to witness the birth of my son, Jacob, on July 13, 2004, and was then deployed four days later. Throughout my training and the majority of my deployment, I made it known to my chain of command that while the mission must come first, I intended to balance that by applying for parental leave upon my return to Canada in order to share in the care of our baby, to live up to my family responsibilities, and to bond with Jacob. Unfortunately, it was not possible during this period to start the administrative process, as the request has to be approved by the losing unit and my post-deployment posting was not determined until approximately 11 months into my tour.
Upon receipt of my posting message to the Canadian Forces information operations group in Ottawa, I applied for parental leave commencing immediately upon my return to Canada. Unfortunately, my request was denied. As it turns out, my 54-week deployment as a United Nations peacekeeper was longer than the eligibility period to receive parental benefits under the Employment Insurance Act. Since reception of parental benefits is a prerequisite for the approval of parental leave, denial under the Employment Insurance Act gave my chain of command no choice but to reject my request for parental leave.
At that point in time, I had been a member of the Canadian Forces for 14 years, and it must be stressed that employment insurance premiums had been deducted from my monthly salary throughout that time. In order to better understand the reasons why I had been denied parental benefits and subsequently parental leave, I read through the Employment Insurance Act and found that there are certain circumstances within the act that would have allowed for an extension of the 52-week eligibility period. These circumstances focus on situations that would preclude a family from being in a position to bond as a unit, such as hospitalization, and surprisingly, being confined in a jail, penitentiary, or other similar institution. Having been away from my young family for extended periods of time, I can truly empathize with anyone who must go through that, regardless of the reasons for the separation. However, it did not seem right that the laws of Canada would specifically accommodate for the quality of life for convicted criminals while omitting similar provisions for members of the Canadian Forces deployed on active operations.
When discussing this matter with other leaders within the Canadian Forces and those working as administrative staff within the orderly rooms, I was also disheartened to find out that my situation was not unique. While I do not have specific names of other service members who have been denied parental leave due to operations, it is my understanding that similar circumstances occurred to significantly reduce the period of parental leave eligibility for many members returning from international operations such as our mission in Afghanistan, and no doubt domestic operations, such as support to the recent Olympics.
Following the birth of our daughter, Megan, in 2006, I again applied for parental leave and was granted it this time. I can wholeheartedly say that it was one of the best periods of my life. It brought our entire family closer together. It enabled me to share in the challenges of raising a newborn for the first time--Anne had already done it once--and it provided me with the opportunity to build a closer relationship with my wife, Anne, and our son, Jacob. That period was the beginning of a true lifelong family connection and it laid the foundation for an amazing relationship that we continue to share.
This period had such an effect on me that I have encouraged, and I continue to encourage, any soon-to-be military fathers to take advantage of this benefit as well. I'd like to take this opportunity to note that as an officer I realize that parental leave is a fairly recent entitlement for the Canadian Forces, and I fully understand how difficult it must be to ensure that all relative active legislation is aligned with changes within the policy of an individual department.
As a father and a soldier, I appeal to this committee to endorse the recommended amendment to the Employment Insurance Act. It will directly enable Canadian Forces members like me to answer the call of duty to Canada, as well as live up to their duties as parents.
Subject to your questions, that concludes my statement.