Martha’s Monthly
April 2007
No Screaming on the Screamer and
No Compassion in Compassionate Care
in
Last month a
The Screamer on which you
cannot scream reminded Martha of Compassionate Care Leave in
Compassionate Care Leave is
defined by federal law as “the provision of care to a gravely ill or dying
spouse or common-law partner, child or parent, sibling, grandparent,
grandchild, in-law, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, foster parent, ward, guardian,
or a gravely ill person who considers the claimant to be like a family member,
who has a significant risk of death within 26 weeks.”
Three years ago the federal
government changed the Employment Insurance (EI) rules to provide people with 6
weeks of EI in order to provide care to a terminally ill relative. Every
Canadian province, except
In
Perhaps, you may wonder,
does this really affect anyone? Well
according to an Edmonton Journal article from last year, nearly 5,000 Canadians
qualified for compassionate care benefits through the federal Employment
Insurance program in 2005. Of those, 469 were in
The Alberta Federation of
Labour (AFL), in a September 2005 submission to the Employment Standards Review
panel, called for a change to
Martha looked and looked for
that Review panel’s report. She
eventually had to email the Employment Standards Contact Centre and received
this reply to her request about an update on the review: “The review is still underway, but no new legislation
has yet been passed. To view the most recent press release re: the Code review,
please visit our website at www.employment.gov.ab.ca/es
and click on the link on the left side
of the page that says ‘Code Review’” The press release in question was from May
of 2006. It did mention that compassionate care leave was a suggestion made to
the review panel (yah, thought Martha, by the AFL!) but that no commitment was
made. And nothing has been released on
the panel since last year. In that year, about 500 Albertans have risked
their jobs in order to be with their dying relatives.
The situation is enough to
make Martha scream right out loud.
Martha thinks it is high time that the
premier@gov.ab.ca, iris.evans@assembly.ab.ca, sherwood.park@assembly.ab.ca, Edmonton.beverlyclareview@assembly.ab.ca, edmonton.glenora@assembly.ab.ca,
marthasmonthly@yahoo.ca
Premier Ed Stelmach and
Minister Iris Evans
Dear Premier Stelmach and
Minister Evans:
As one of Martha’s Monthly’s
readers I was shocked to discover this month that Alberta is the only province
in Canada that does not have legislation that protects the jobs of workers who
take Compassionate Care leave under the EI plan. This situation must be resolved immediately.
I understand that for a few
years the Employment Standards Review panel has met and heard about changes
that are needed for the 20 year old Employment Standards Act. The issue of Compassionate Care leave has
been raised to this panel and yet the panel has not reported nor has it
recommended an immediate change to the Employment Standards Act. About 500 Albertans accessed this leave
through EI in 2005 and many more would have if their jobs were secured. When a family is facing the imminent death of
a member, job security for the caregiver should be a given. No one should have
to choose between their job and being with their loved one in their final days.
Please release the report of
the Review Panel and introduce changes to the Employment Standards Act in order
to ensure that there is true compassion offered in this province.
I look forward to your
response.
Sincerely,
(Your name and address)
CC. Ray Martin, MLA
Martha’s Monthly