Mr. Speaker, I will rise later today to table a bill that seeks to amend the Canada Labour Code.
As we all know, illness or injury can strike anyone at any time. This year alone, hundreds of thousands of hard-working Canadians will be struck with catastrophic illness or serious physical injuries that prevent them from making a contribution in the workplace and providing for them and their family.
They will need time off, in some cases a lot of time off, to recover, but today they have just 12 weeks to recover before they must be back on the clock or risk losing their jobs. For many, this will not be enough time, and the suffering will intensify.
The amendment proposed in the bill will extend the eligible period from 12 weeks to 52 weeks during which workers suffering from serious injury or illness are able to return to their job, without fear of losing their position.
If passed or adopted by the government, the bill will ensure that Canadians suffering from serious injury or illness have some peace of mind during their recovery period and will increase the likelihood that they will be able to rejoin the workforce in the same capacity and in the position that they held before they were forced to leave.
This is fair and right and I hope my colleagues would agree and support the legislation.