Roxie Malone-Richards calls for amendments to Employment Insurance benefits

May 02, 2007

OTTAWA — Peter Goldring, Member of Parliament for Edmonton East, rose in the House of Commons to present a petition from Roxie Malone-Richards and more than a thousand people calling for amendments to the Employment Insurance Act to extend EI maternity benefits for complications due to pregnancy.

The text of Mr. Goldring’s statement is as follows:

“Mr. Speaker, It has been long established that 50 weeks of maternity benefits under the Employment Insurance Act are beneficial to the well-being of mother and child for at home parental bonding, but it ignores the reality of some like Roxie Malone and her beautiful daughter, Jessie, in my riding of Edmonton East who are deprived of the right to have this full experience due to complications with premature birth.

Roxy Malone with over 1,000 petitioners are calling for consideration to be given to amend the Employment Insurance Act and allow additional maternity benefits to start when the child leaves the hospital to go home.”