Bill C-265 (Historical)

Émilie Sansfaçon Act

An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (illness, injury or quarantine)

This bill is from the 43rd Parliament, 2nd session, which ended in August 2021.

Sponsor

Claude DeBellefeuille  Bloc

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Report stage (House), as of June 21, 2021
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment amends the Employment Insurance Act to increase from 15 to 50 the maximum number of weeks for which benefits may be paid because of illness, injury or quarantine.

Similar bills

C-215 (44th Parliament, 1st session) An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (illness, injury or quarantine)
C-242 (43rd Parliament, 2nd session) An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (illness, injury or quarantine)
C-242 (43rd Parliament, 1st session) An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (illness, injury or quarantine)
C-217 (43rd Parliament, 1st session) An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (illness, injury or quarantine)
C-278 (39th Parliament, 1st session) An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (benefits for illness, injury or quarantine)

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-265s:

C-265 (2022) National Perinatal Mental Health Strategy Act
C-265 (2016) Secure, Adequate, Acessible and Affordable Housing Act
C-265 (2013) Canada Post-Secondary Education Act
C-265 (2011) Canada Post-Secondary Education Act

Votes

May 26, 2021 Passed 2nd reading of Bill C-265, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (illness, injury or quarantine)

Debate Summary

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This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.

Bill C-265 seeks to amend the Employment Insurance Act to extend EI sickness benefits from 15 weeks to 50 weeks for eligible workers who are sick, injured, or quarantined.

Bloc

  • Extend sickness benefits: The Bloc Québécois sponsors Bill C-265 to extend special employment insurance sickness benefits from 15 weeks to a maximum of 50 weeks.
  • Address insufficient coverage: The current 15-week limit is insufficient for serious illnesses, leaving sick workers without income and facing financial insecurity while undergoing treatment.
  • Feasible and widely supported: Extending benefits to 50 weeks is financially feasible according to the PBO and is supported by opposition parties, unions, health organizations, and the public.
  • Call for government support: The Bloc urges the government to provide the necessary royal recommendation or include the 50-week extension in the budget, honouring the fight of Émilie Sansfaçon.

Conservative

  • Advocate for longer benefits: The party advocates for extending EI sickness benefits to 50 or 52 weeks, citing internal party resolutions and the inadequacy of the current 15 weeks for serious illnesses.
  • Criticize government delay: They criticize the Liberal government for delaying the extension for years, offering only 26 weeks starting in 2022, and hindering Bill C-265's progress.
  • Address financial hardship: Members highlight the severe financial burden and stress on seriously ill Canadians who exhaust their 15 weeks of benefits and cannot work.

NDP

  • Supports extending ei sickness benefits: The NDP strongly supports the bill's objective to extend employment insurance sickness benefits, recognizing the hardship faced by sick and injured workers.
  • Calls for 50 weeks of benefits: The party advocates for extending EI sickness benefits to a maximum of 50 weeks, arguing that the current 15 weeks is totally inadequate.
  • 26 weeks is insufficient: Based on medical recovery times for serious illnesses like cancer and long COVID, the proposed 26 weeks of benefits is insufficient and unrealistic.
  • Need for broader ei reform: The pandemic highlighted significant issues with EI access, and permanent reforms are needed to ensure all workers, including self-employed, freelancers, and contract workers, are covered.

Liberal

  • Need to extend benefits: The current 15 weeks of EI sickness benefits are often insufficient, as many Canadians exhaust them before they can return to work.
  • Plan to extend to 26 weeks: The government is committed to extending EI sickness benefits from 15 to 26 weeks, as outlined in Budget 2021 (Bill C-30).
  • Part of ei modernization: The extension of sickness benefits is a component of the government's plan to modernize and make the employment insurance program more inclusive.
  • Support government bill: The government views its approach in Budget 2021 as more balanced than Bill C-265 and encourages support for its legislation.
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Émilie Sansfaçon ActPrivate Members' Business

May 26th, 2021 / 3:35 p.m.

The Speaker Anthony Rota

I declare the motion carried. Accordingly, this bill stands referred to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

(Bill read the second time and referred to a committee)