Question 1: Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits
The Employment Insurance Program in Canada offers temporary financial assistance to unemployed workers. This assistance includes providing sickness benefits to employees unable to work because of sickness, injury or quarantine and who would otherwise be available to work, with sickness benefits up to a maximum of 15 weeks. More than 350,000 Canadian workers claim sick leave through the EI program every year (2). However, most cancer patients spend more than 15 weeks receiving or recovering from cancer treatment. The estimated cost of raising the number of weeks from 15 to 50 would only raise the EI premium by a total of 6-cents from the baseline rate of $1.62 per $100 of insurable earnings (3).
If elected, will your government:
A. Recognize that there is a need for a new process that recognizes that some patients, including cancer patients, experience extended periods of treatment and recovery, and hold open consultations with Canadians about how this process will be developed and implemented?
Yes.
B. Use the results of these consultations to lengthen sickness benefits for Canadians undergoing treatment for cancer, as well as other serious illnesses that require long periods of treatment or recovery, so that Canadians who are ill are not penalized by the current limit of 15 weeks of sickness benefits?
A. Take immediate actions to address a significant and troubling increase in youth vaping and smoking in Canada?Yes.
B. Use the results of the recent public consultations on new vaping regulations to strengthen controls over packaging, promotions and nicotine content?
Yes.
C. Move to accelerate the process of banning all flavoured vaping products in an attempt to lessen their appeal to a youth market?
A. Ensure that the Task Force’s guidelines are revised by relevant experts in the field?Yes.
B. Disband the Task Force if its design flaws and lack of accountability can’t be remedied under the current structure?
Yes.
C. Reject the 2018 guidelines and, if needed, create a new Task Force which accurately incorporates relevant expert opinion?
Yes.