Human Resources committee  As I mentioned, when you look at an age cohort of 15 to 45 years old for stroke victims, eight months is the median time. So some are going to fall on the other side; some are going to fall on the lower side. It seems kind of appropriate, because for CPP disability, I think doctors often approve it if the person is going to be sick for more than one year.

Human Resources committee  Yes. Stress would invariably be reduced for the family and for the person. If you extend it to 50 weeks you would bridge the time between treatment and illness and the time you get CPP disability. You can imagine going 30 weeks or so without income and having to depend on welfare.

Human Resources committee  I think the period from diagnosis to treatment really varies, so I can't give you a standard number for that, but definitely the number I have is post-treatment, and that is eight to 12 weeks. But as I mentioned, for certain people who have diabetes, etc., it can be more than that, so 15 weeks plus, but between diagnosis and treatment, there's not as much disability as there is post-treatment in the case of bypass surgeries, where it's very disabling.

Human Resources committee  First of all, maybe some individuals would take advantage, but I have to assume that the large majority are going to be sincere about the symptoms and the situation they're going through and they would be honest. There's no indication out there that in fact people would intentionally deceive when they're that sick.

Human Resources committee  I would add that there's a whole pile of literature that indicates very clearly the impact that income has on health and that stress and psycho-social factors have on health. Lots of work has been done, and there is lots of evidence. It's very clear that it does have an impact.

Human Resources committee  Absolutely. That's absolutely correct, and it's documented through a lot of research studies, as well.

Human Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for the opportunity to appear before you today to present the perspective of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada regarding Bill C-278. Let me begin by commending Mr. Eyking for introducing this important initiative, which could help many people across the country.