Mr. Speaker, the minister for EI prefers to dismiss anecdotes about his program, but today in Yukon there is a funeral for Kirk Miller, the father of three sons and a devoted husband to Leslie.
Last week he was killed in a mine accident in B.C. Last fall Kirk left Yukon to work in Alberta. He lived in his truck so he could send all his money home to his family. His wife begged him to return home and at Christmas he did, but he was denied EI benefits because he did not have sufficient grounds to quit his job.
In January he again left his family and went to B.C. to work. In his last phone calls home he told his wife the ground was bad and just days later he was dead in a mine cave-in.
Kirk had no choice. He could not and he would not leave his family without an income. He knew he would get no EI if he quit. Now there is no life for Kirk and only despair for his family.
This anecdote is the tragedy of a man who worked to his death for his family because the minister would not let Kirk live in the same territory as his family.
I ask the House to pay tribute to Kirk and his family.