Madam Speaker, Canadians expect and deserve an EI system that is flexible and responsive to their needs. EI sickness benefits are an important support for Canadians who need to leave work because of illness or injury. Workers receiving important treatments or requiring a longer period to recover from an illness or injury sometimes face a stressful income gap before they are healthy enough to return to work. That is why budget 2021 extends EI sickness benefits from 15 to 26 weeks, providing approximately 169,000 Canadians every year with additional time and flexibility to recover and return to work.
There is more work to do, and we will continue working so that EI is there for Canadians when they need it most.