The testimony we've heard this morning is very similar to what we've heard on our end through the research projects we've conducted with hundreds of parents. Getting a respite or time off is sometimes really difficult and requires administrative procedures that can be burdensome. Those procedures add to the psychological distress of parents, who are already going through a difficult situation. This is very common; it's not just anecdotal. It is quite widespread among the parents we met. For example, they don't have access to the maternity leave that can be granted when a death occurs after a certain point in time, as is the case in Quebec.
We note that there is a lot of variability from workplace to workplace. Some people are fortunate enough to have employers who are more understanding or who provide better conditions. An employee can sign a leave agreement with their employer, but not all employees have access to that. It's still very unequal. I think the bill would allow for more consistency in that regard.
One aspect that hasn't been discussed yet, but is something we've noticed when conducting our research projects, is that what might be helpful is for the leave to be flexible. We've talked about the length of the leave, but the timing of when the leave is taken also needs to be considered. Grief is not necessarily linear; it doesn't necessarily follow a straight path over time. There may be moments that trigger certain symptoms of grief, such as the child's birthday. Parents told us that it would be nice if they could split up this leave or take it at a time that is most important to them. So that's something I could add to the discussion.