Madam Speaker, it seems I will have to do away with part of my speech and perhaps a question from my colleague from Winnipeg North. I will be as brief as possible.
The Bloc Québécois has always fought to improve employment insurance programs, and is still fighting to obtain better living conditions for workers in Quebec who actively contribute to the development of our society.
It is in that context that the Bloc Québécois is calling for an improvement to the special employment insurance benefits for serious illnesses. This would help people who are coping with the vagaries of life to take care of themselves and recuperate in dignity.
Generally, the special employment insurance sickness benefits are adequate. However, in the case of a serious illness like cancer, depression or a stroke, 15 weeks of benefits are woefully inadequate to ensure a full physical and psychological recovery. When we think about it, it is absurd to expect to be fully healed in 15 weeks or even 26 weeks.
On top of being sick and temporarily unable to work, these individuals lose a lot. In addition to dealing with their inability to work and provide for their families, some people even lose their house, their car and other things because they have not yet recovered after the 15 weeks of special sickness benefits and they do not have access to any other financial assistance. Their life of hard work collapses.
These material losses add huge amounts of stress to people who are already seriously ill. This stress also affects the spouse, children and other family members. Remember that the very principle of EI is insurance paid for by workers to be able to deal with the vagaries of life. It is inconceivable that these benefits should be limited to 15 or 26 weeks as the Liberal Party is proposing. I would remind the House that it is a ceiling, not a goal to reach the maximum number of weeks.
What am I supposed to tell seriously ill people who reach out to me and ask me to help them? How can I explain to them that there are huge surpluses in the fund, but they still have to fight to make ends meet? They risk losing everything, while billions of dollars that come straight from their contributions and those of their fellow citizens remain in the coffers. What am I supposed to tell them when I know very well that the EI program could easily meet their needs? It is unacceptable and it is not humane.
I am feeling a little anxious now because I am running out of time. I cannot imagine how someone must feel when they have received 14 weeks of benefits but know they still need several treatments.
It is enormously stressful to go back to work knowing that you are incapable of performing all the tasks or living up to all the responsibilities of the job. It is mentally unsustainable—