Human Resources committee  It would be necessary to think about whether it would be within the EI program or—

Human Resources committee  Okay.

Human Resources committee  If there's a will to do it, then I think there is a way to do it, but I wouldn't want to give the sense that it's something that is easy to achieve either. In terms of something that is initiated by the death of a person, we would need to think about how that information, which is probably then captured by provincial or territorial authorities, could be provided to the federal government and then how to identify specifically parents that could benefit, whether it's from EI or some other measure.

Human Resources committee  I can certainly say that there are Service Canada agents who are trained for various sensitive situations. That said, I'm not aware of a specific line that would be available to parents who have just suffered the loss of a child. I would have to go back to Service Canada to ask about that, but I'm not aware of one existing for that situation.

Human Resources committee  I don't know if there is any....

Human Resources committee  At the federal level, I'm not aware of counselling such as grief counselling, for example, that we provide for Canadians. I think that might be something that is administered at the local or the provincial level, in terms of an individual seeking support or help in coping either with grief or with a potential mental health or mental wellness situation.

Human Resources committee  I'm going to start with that last point, just to say that we would see that the EI program, in terms of the income support that it can provide to workers and to families in this sense, would only be part of what they would need, and that's the part that I think we could speak to.

Human Resources committee  I think it's absolutely fair to say that there has been adaptation, and I would describe that adaptation as significant over the years in terms of the EI program today versus where it was when it began over 75 years ago. If you take a look simply at the benefits that are now paid through the program, there was roughly $13 billion paid in what we call EI regular benefits with respect to job loss in 2016-17.

Human Resources committee  The EI program at its heart is a labour market program, so it is seeking to ensure an efficient labour market. Where it began, when it took a look at job loss, was with the idea that when people lose their jobs, they would have some kind of income support while at the same time there would be an obligation on people to look for work and to try to find new work.

Human Resources committee  It would be too early for me to say whether it is working. We know that in the past, though, many people receiving sickness benefits.... There were about 379,000 people who claimed EI sickness benefits in that same year of 2016-17—

Human Resources committee  About 379,000 workers claimed EI sickness benefits. Among them, roughly 60,000 did some work while they were receiving EI sickness benefits. That's a group that we expect would benefit from these provisions of working while on claim, but we don't know what component of that group may have been in a bereavement situation.

Human Resources committee  If I simplify the context of the question a little bit, I would say that there are two important aspects to consider. First, there is access to the employment insurance system. Then, it is necessary to see if the regime contains measures that can meet the needs of families in these difficult and tragic circumstances.

Human Resources committee  Let me echo what Rutha was saying there. We don't have a breakdown with respect to the reasons people are accessing sickness benefits. I can't speak to the situation of their using sickness benefits as a result of a grieving situation that renders them unable to work. What I can tell you is that we certainly see that people make a progressive return to work in some cases.

Human Resources committee  Thank you, Chair, and members of the committee. Good morning. My name is Andrew Brown. I am the director general for Employment Insurance Policy at the Department of Employment and Social Development. Joining me is Rutha Astravas, director of Policy for EI Special Benefits. Let me begin by thanking the committee for the opportunity to address this very important issue—parents who have suffered the loss of an infant child and exploring ways to support them.