Today, Minister Diane Finley announced the introduction of the Fairness for the Self-Employed Act which provides self-employed Canadians with voluntary access to all EI special benefits – maternity and parental benefits, sickness benefits, and compassionate care benefits.
Our Conservative government is not only delivering on our commitment to self-employed Canadians, we are exceeding it.
Our Conservative Government knows that families are the foundation of our great country. We believe that self-employed Canadians should not have to choose between their family and their business responsibilities.
Extending access to special benefits is the fair and right thing to do. It is yet another way our government is supporting families and represents one of the most significant enhancements to the EI program in the last decade.
Self-employed Canadians will now have the peace of mind knowing they can access special benefits to cope with major life events such as the birth of a child, an illness, or caring for a gravely ill family member.
There are approximately 2.6 million self-employed Canadians who have long asked for this support. The previous Liberal government completely ignored these Canadians for 13 years.
Our government has listened and has delivered results for self-employed Canadians who are an integral part of our economy and economic recovery.
There are approximately 2.6 million self-employed Canadians who have long asked for this support. They include small business owners, farmers, construction workers, professionals, and those who own a home business, among many others.
