Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Carmen Wu, and I'm here to share my experience navigating employment insurance after the stillbirth of my daughter, Olivia, in 2017. Olivia was stillborn at 40 weeks. At that time, I was already receiving maternity benefits. I knew that I would need to cancel the parental benefits portion of my leave.
When it came time to address my parental leave, I learned that I couldn't make the required changes online, so I went into a Service Canada office. I remember standing in line, knowing that when I reached a counter, I would have to tell the staff that my baby had died. The staff there were kind and compassionate and tried to help in every way they could. My experience is not about the individuals working within the system but the process requiring me to relive my loss in a very public setting at a time when I was barely functioning.
The people at the office told me that once my maternity benefit ended, I could return, and they would help me access additional time off. In that moment, I did not fully understand what that meant. I never went back to find out. When you're grieving the loss of a child, even the simple administrative tasks can feel overwhelming. Forms, timelines and eligibility requirements require a level of focus and clarity that many grieving parents simply do not have. I could not imagine having to stand in that line for a second time. I was fortunate to have a supportive workplace and family that allowed me additional time away from work. Not every parent has that, and even though I had that support, returning to work was mentally very difficult.
The changes proposed under Bill C-222 would help families like mine. It would allow parents who have lost their baby to continue receiving their benefits without having to re-explain their loss or reapply during the most painful time of their lives. It would give grieving parents the space to heal without the added burden of bureaucracy. No grieving parent should have to stand at a government counter to explain that their baby has died in order to receive the time they need to grieve.
Thank you.