Thank you for that.
I just want to point out that arising from the 2016 study, one of the recommendations from the committee was that IRCC “explore alternative options for accepting a broader range of health insurance coverage options outside the Canadian market that meets Canadian standards for coverage; and consult with domestic health insurance providers to ensure fairness to families in Canada.” It's been six years, of course, since that report and since that recommendation was made, and nothing has happened. Here we are with this bill.
I'm glad to see this bill. I support this bill, because I do think we need to look for alternatives to make it more affordable. Hopefully, this will move this forward, instead of just asking the minister to consider it and then nothing happens.
I'd like to touch on this other issue. I spoke with a family that had their application rejected in the third year of their income proof because the family's income dipped due to unexpected circumstances. In this instance, the baby came early. As a result, the person who made the application for the family had to go on maternity leave. For one month she went on mat leave, and then right after she went back to work, making the same salary she was before. But because her income dipped for that one month, they were disqualified. They lost that application.
Does the member agree that there should be an appeal process for extenuating circumstances?