Breast Cancer Sisters Information-ER

Dear Honourable Diane Finley:

 

I am writing to as a a Young Breast Cancer Survivor that was diagnosed in October 2003 at the age of 41, and my experience showed me the inadequacies in our Canadian National EI Program.

As a women in the prime of my working years, I soon found out how biased our EI system is for people with life threatening illnesses, including cancer.

 

The current EI system requirements and length of coverage help those families that can "save & plan " to start a family, and then have up to 1 year parental benefits to look after and provide for their child, or for those people that are healthy enough to actively go out looking for a new job.

A person with an illness is entitled to a maximum of  15 weeks  EI benefits under the current system.

 

This amount is ridiculously inadequate and does not even begin to cover the length of time a cancer patient must take time off of work, to complete all treatment.

Compound a cancer diagnosis with the facts of  living in a rural community where you have to travel to a major centre for chemotherapy every 2 weeks or 3 weeks for the next 5 months and then face another 5 weeks of radiation treatment if you are a breast cancer patient at one of a few Canadian Cancer Radiation facilities.

 

 A person cannot think of working through a time like this. Add to an already financial and emotionally stressed situation is the fact that you must pay out of pocket for travel expenses and away from home lodging and then you are told that 15 weeks coverage is all that they will receive from EI coverage.

 

CPP will not even consider a Cancer patient for coverage if there is any "positive hope" implied by the physician that the cancer patient will be able to return to work. Every cancer patient wants to return to back to work if at all possible.
I am asking that the EI coverage criteria and length of coverage be looked at and a "serious illness " or a "cancer diagnosis" clause be put in place so that patients can face their treatment with a little extra piece of mind, that they will be covered for up to 1 year.

 

I am asking that  the same coverage and consideration that is extended to parental leave be given to a cancer patient, to look after ones self, as long as they are currently receiving chemotherapy, surgery and or radiation treatment.

 

I thank you for your time and consideration in this extremely important matter.

 

Regards