Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present another petition, this one relating to parental leave under employment insurance, which is going to be raised from 10 weeks to 35.
This extension of parental leave will apply only to parents whose babies are born after December 31, 2000. Parents of children born prior to that date will not have the same privilege as those whose children are born after.
Consequently, the petitioners are calling upon parliament to make the extended parental leave effective immediately, so that parents of children born prior to December 31, 2000 may also take advantage of it. Parents should be able to reap immediate advantage from the $30 billion surplus in the employment insurance fund.