Fund bereavement parental leave
Sign on the House of Commons websitePetitioners ask the House of Commons to immediately (Oct 2026) fund 100% bereavement parental leave: mothers 12–18 months (surgery-adjusted); fathers 3 weeks–6 months or up to 12/18 months; classify as maternity care, not EI.
Why we would sign this petition
- Provides full income replacement so bereaved parents can grieve and meet expenses without returning to work immediately.
- Recognizes stillbirth from 16 weeks and reclassifies benefits under maternity care, which could reduce administrative hurdles and overpayment risk.
- Extends father-specific leave scaled to gestation and trauma, promoting shared caregiving and family recovery.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Would increase public spending and raise questions about fiscal cost and budget priorities.
- Complex, gestation-based tiers and surgical extensions may be hard to administer and to verify eligibility fairly.
- May overlap with or be better addressed by reforming existing EI and leave programs rather than creating a separate classification.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the House of Commons EI parental benefits end abruptly upon experiencing a stillbirth or death of a child, forcing grieving parents to immediately report the tragedy, risk accidental overpayment liabilities from the CRA, or recount their loss every 14 days to receive sickness/disability pay. We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to immediately, this October 2026, provide dedicated funding to bereaved parents: 1. 100% earnings for 1 year for mothers who experience stillbirth, commencing the day of the baby’s passing. Stillbirth to be acknowledged at 16 weeks gestation onwards; 2. Wherein a mother loses a child after birth, all mothers to receive 100% of earnings for one year from date of child’s passing. 3. Wherein a mother undergoes surgery and requires physical healing, an additional 6 months at 100% paid leave be granted, 18 months total time off, 100% earnings. This support will not be labeled under E.I. Illness/Disability but will be recognized under Maternity Care as it pertains to the delivery of a child; 4. Fathers who experience a stillbirth from the gestational stage of 16-20 weeks to receive 3 weeks paid leave at 100%, and from 20 weeks gestation up to full-term, 3 months paid leave at 100%. Fathers who experience trauma of stillbirth at full-term, to receive up to 6 months paid leave at 100%; and 5. For fathers who lose their child, 100% pay to be granted for up to one year, or up to 18 months if the mother forgoes surgery or physical healing whilst there are other children to take care of. 1. 100% earnings for 1 year for mothers who experience stillbirth, commencing the day of the baby’s passing. Stillbirth to be acknowledged at 16 weeks gestation onwards; 2. Wherein a mother loses a child after birth, all mothers to receive 100% of earnings for one year from date of child’s passing. 3. Wherein a mother undergoes surgery and requires physical healing, an additional 6 months at 100% paid leave be granted, 18 months total time off, 100% earnings. This support will not be labeled under E.I. Illness/Disability but will be recognized under Maternity Care as it pertains to the delivery of a child; 4. Fathers who experience a stillbirth from the gestational stage of 16-20 weeks to receive 3 weeks paid leave at 100%, and from 20 weeks gestation up to full-term, 3 months paid leave at 100%. Fathers who experience trauma of stillbirth at full-term, to receive up to 6 months paid leave at 100%; and 5. For fathers who lose their child, 100% pay to be granted for up to one year, or up to 18 months if the mother forgoes surgery or physical healing whilst there are other children to take care of.
Government response
No government response is available yet.