Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect and deserve to have an employment insurance plan that is flexible and meets their needs. Employment insurance sickness benefits are an important support for Canadians who have to stay home from work because of an illness or injury.
Workers who receive major treatments or who need more time to heal will benefit from the measure in budget 2021 to extend EI benefits from 15 to 26 weeks. This extension will provide nearly 169,000 Canadians every year with additional time and flexibility.