Lots of women have suffered throughout the pandemic of COVID-19 here in Canada. Service Canada and the liberal government have done nothing at all to help us women who got pregnant and had babies during the pandemic. We are being told it is a legislative law issue, have been misinformed and not helped by Service Canada or the Government.

Service Canada representatives have told us several different things resulting in the same end answer of “There’s nothing we can do.” Lots of misinformation has been given about being on EI during the lockdowns such as information about the 480-hour one-time credit that is meant to help people like us. Which was used instead of the current hours we have resulting in an expiration of the rest of the hours we have built up.

Leaving us stuck on the same claim we had to take during a lockdown. Because of the lockdown back in December, all of us were forced out of work. It was out of our control and we had no choice but to claim EI if we were eligible for it. At the time lots of us were under the impression that as long as we made it back for 120 hours of work before having our babies later in 2021, we would be eligible for a new mat leave/parental leave claim, lots of people were told this by service Canada.

Many of us have now recently been told that the top was automatically applied to our old claim even when we had a sufficient amount of hours and did not need the top-up. No matter how many hours we had built up. Even though the government's website states this top-up is to help people MEET the eligible 600 hours it was automatically applied. We have done a request to reconsider and have done a tribunal hearing just to be denied. We have been told by our MPs and service Canada that our rights are being violated but there’s nothing that can be done. Many of us are now being forced to go back to work or to financially struggle for most of our maternity leave.

It is completely unfair that we women with careers and jobs have been forced out of work because of COVID-19 and the lockdowns. We now we are having our time cut short completely when our right is 12-18 months with our babies. We now are being forced to either financially struggle or go back to work with newborns and infants at home.

We have appealed EI claims, we have been in contact with our local MP offices, we have had trials with the social tribunal we have done everything and everybody has the same answer.

We feel lost and helpless. We’re struggling.
How on earth is this fair? A group of us have now gotten together and decided to start this petition. We are going to petition the liberal government to make a change! Help us!

So many of us have slipped through the cracks of the EI rules but we all know in these times nothing was planned and these rules/ legislative laws should change and be fixed to help accommodate us, strong working women. It’s our right to have the time off with our newborn babies and we feel penalized and pushed aside.

We are now losing precious time and months raising our newborns. We are left with very few choices in this matter. We decide to stay home and will not be able to financially provide for our family? Do we struggle to pay bills? Continue to climb ourselves into more debt? Just to be able to soak up the time that we as women have the right to have.

So my question is to you: Will you help us SIGN and SHARE this petition so we can make a difference? Help us expecting mothers and families who are struggling to get their right to a full maternity/parental leave.

My other question is to you, Justin Trudeau. What are you going to do to fix this?
You can spend $600 million on an early election, but you’re leaving the new mothers of this country struggling with mental health such as, depression, having anxiety or climbing into debt and not being able to enjoy our time because we’re just worried about what we have to do next.

I think there needs to be a solution to this problem. We are sick and tired of getting the answer “There is nothing we can do for you.”

DO BETTER.
Please sign this petition so we can get the power behind it to make a change.