Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell colleagues about my constituent Nancy Gatten. Nancy works at a grocery store in London and, like so many other women, she is a front-line worker in the service sector. Nancy is 63 years old and has diabetes. Her doctor told her to stay at home because she is at high risk for contracting COVID-19.
Nancy accessed the CERB and was grateful for that support, yet despite the fact that the pandemic is far from over, and in London we are seeing the spread of variants, Nancy is not eligible for the recovery sickness benefit. Nancy must return to a very public workplace with no clear indication of when she will get a vaccine.
Nancy said she had had high hopes because the Prime Minister had said that the government would protect vulnerable Canadians, help seniors, and that he cared for women working on the front lines, but because of his failure to make supports universal, Nancy and many other Canadians are sadly being left behind.