I decided to table this bill because we can see that 15 weeks of benefits is really not enough for a person with cancer or an extended illness.
In the case of Mr. Sansfaçon’s daughter, her treatments lasted nearly a year. Personally, when my wife was sick, it lasted a year. In the case of cancer, serious cancer, treatments are lengthy, and recovery takes a long time. People are unable to work while receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
I saw my wife experience shocks and trembling for hours after her treatments. That’s hard. A lot of help and support is needed. Unfortunately, when a person who is sick also has financial problems, it only makes things worse. Patients truly need every kind of help. It can be money, volunteer assistance or help from friends, parents, brothers and sisters. It encourages them to hang on to life.
That means Canada has work to do, and it is up to us to do it.