Evidence of meeting #121 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was support.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:25 a.m.
Managing Director, Les amis du crépuscule
Thank you.
The hotline you talked about earlier could be something of a single point of contact people could call to obtain information on assistance and available programs, as well as potential benefits. That would also make it possible for them to be referred to the right place for psychological support.
10:25 a.m.
Banff—Airdrie, CPC
I see that we have interest on the video conference.
Please—
10:25 a.m.
As an Individual
Thank you very much.
Since our child was over the age of one, there was no parental, maternal or any benefits that we could access, other than sick leave. As a witness stated previously, they couldn't get their doctor to sign.... Our doctor wouldn't sign off on stress or sick leave. She told us to go talk to a counsellor, and that was it. This was our family doctor.
Other than going away to an emergency clinic somewhere to get somebody else to sign off on something that really wasn't true.... It wasn't stress. It was grief. We shouldn't have to play a system that we pay into.
10:30 a.m.
October15.ca - British Columbia Childloss Support Network
You had a two-part question, and one of them was about telling the story. I fully agree with the other witnesses in terms of the necessity to have this automatic benefit.
I can tell you that my oldest son would now be seven, and my second son, Tobias, would now be five, and it's taken me several years to be able to be in a setting to speak about this without being an emotional wreck.
At the time when Service Canada wanted to talk to me, it was impossible. It was this idea that I had to go there in this public place, and I couldn't control the times and the terms where I had to tell the story. It was just terrible.
I think that situation should be changed, that people have more control over how they are made to tell the story. A phone line dedicated team, I think would go a long way.
10:30 a.m.
NDP
Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Pelletier, you said you had decided to set up a really special program for infant loss. With all due respect for the parents who are with us today and who have experienced such a loss, I would like you to explain how your organization has come to that decision after meeting parents. Why did you come to think that infant loss required a special approach?
10:30 a.m.
Managing Director, Les amis du crépuscule
We have been involved in bereavement for a long time—25 years—and our approaches have evolved over time. Of course, we have been working with bereaved adults for a long time, but we have designed special approaches for bereaved children and adolescents.
As people have said this morning, the situation of individuals going through infant loss is made worse by the fact that some members of our society do not consider that loss to be as important as the loss of another person or a 10-year-old child, for instance. Very little time was spent with a child who died at young age, but those people are also bereaved and have as much grief, if not more, as when someone else dies.
We think that requires a special approach. That is why we are getting help from people who have experienced infant loss, but also from people who have studied infant loss and are experts on the matter.
10:30 a.m.
NDP
Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
You said that you will hold a conference tomorrow called “loss and family”. I would like you to tell the committee who those people with expertise in infant loss are.
10:30 a.m.
Managing Director, Les amis du crépuscule
You talked earlier about Chantal Verdon. She was a speaker at one of our past conferences that focused on infant loss. She is one of the people who will help us develop the best possible approach to help people going through those issues.
10:30 a.m.
NDP
Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
What is the programming of your conference tomorrow on loss and family?
10:30 a.m.
Managing Director, Les amis du crépuscule
We are not focusing on infant loss as such. We are talking about the history of loss and one family's perspective. When someone dies, not only one person is bereaved, but the entire family is, as are loved ones and friends.
We will have testimony from a family whose father died in an accident survived by the spouse and the three children. Mr. Deslauriers, one of our speakers, will ask the members of that family to explain how they were able to get through the loss by having someone to talk to about it. Being able to talk is one of the best ways not to resolve a loss, but to live with it better.
10:35 a.m.
NDP
10:35 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
I'm sorry, but that is about a minute over time. We'll have another chance for questions.
10:35 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
That does bring us to the end of two rounds. We don't really have time to start an official third round from the top, but if desired, we could do a brief three minutes per member. Is there anybody on this side who would like that three minutes? We don't have to take it.
We'll start with Madam Sansoucy, then, for three minutes.
10:35 a.m.
NDP
Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
My colleagues know that I always have a question.
Mr. Pelletier, you said that all your volunteers have received sentinel training, which was designed in Quebec for suicide prevention. That caught my attention.
When you work in the area of bereavement, it is important to always have in mind that a bereaved individual may potentially also end their life, right?
10:35 a.m.
Managing Director, Les amis du crépuscule
Absolutely. People experience loss in different ways. It has occurred regularly that, among the people we support, some have shown such discouragement as to think of suicide. We identified the signs and referred them to qualified people. In our case, we turn to the Contact Richelieu-Yamaska organization, which deals with individuals in crisis who are talking about committing suicide.
10:35 a.m.
NDP
Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
For my colleagues' benefit, I would like to specify that the sentinel program in Quebec can train anyone to identify signs of distress in others. Even students in high school can identify signs of distress and refer the people concerned to the right place.
For you, it is important that everyone who supports bereaved individuals attend that basic training to identify any signs of distress.
10:35 a.m.
Managing Director, Les amis du crépuscule
People who are going through a loss can reach such a level of discouragement that they think about ending their life, and we must be able to identify those situations.