QS sponsors petition to grant leave to fathers
(Montreal) The parent who has not carried his child should also be entitled to a five-week leave in case of perinatal bereavement, demands a petition filed on the website of the National Assembly, sponsored by the solidarity deputy Sol Zanetti. The petition had more than 1700 signatures on Saturday.
The document asks the government to amend the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) and the Act respecting labour standards, so that in the event of a death occurring between the 20th week of pregnancy of the mother and the first year of life of a child, the parent who did not carry the baby also has access to a five-week leave.
"This is something, if we don't talk about it, that will never become a priority for the government. Something simple to change, which would not cost much since it would be covered by the QPIP, "says in an interview Mr. Zanetti, who is the spokesperson for Québec solidaire for the family.
Nicolas Ratté-Laplante and Marie-Ève Lepage lost their child Philippe last December, during Marie-Ève's31st week of pregnancy. Mr. Ratté-Laplante's insurance, thanks to his job, allowed him to obtain four months of sick leave. However, he is aware that not all fathers are so lucky, and laments that they have to return to work so quickly.
"Work is an environment that is important to value oneself. If you don't feel good, it's complicated. Guys, sometimes, they are further away from their emotions. If they don't agree to cry, it's stuff that we push inside, and then ultimately it may come out in frustration. Certainly, you have to live your emotions, "he says over the phone.
Mr. Ratté-Laplante says he began to feel well two months after the death of his son. "An eight-week is something that I think is required to be able to at least get through the bulk of the storm," he says.
And for Marie-Ève Lepage, it was important to have her spouse by her side, and not to overcome this ordeal alone.
"It's a real birth that we go through, so we need support afterwards," she says. I don't see how a family can rebuild itself after such an ordeal and then go back to work as if nothing had happened five days later. »
Sol Zanetti explains that he launched this petition after several parents contacted him. "There is already a petition that was made several years ago on the subject, which had collected a lot of signatures. And I was very touched by this cause,
and I said to myself: yes, we must revive it, "he says.
For the solidarity MP, this measure is a way of recognizing the mourning of the non-surrogate parent, often a father.
There is something a little, perhaps, of an outdated view of masculinity in that. As if we were saying: the father, he can go back to work the next day, because emotions, he does not have well.
MP Sol Zanetti
"I don't see what argument the government could put forward for not being open to correcting this injustice," the MP said.
"The Parti Québécois has been calling for the extension of parental leave to the second parent for more than ten years. MP Carole Poirier sponsored a petition in this regard in April 2012, which collected more than 12,000 signatures," said PQ MP Joël Arseneau in a written statement.
"The Parti Québécois understands that perinatal bereavement is a trying experience for the couple, a tragedy that is experienced as a couple and must be recognized for the couple," he added.
Madwa-Nika Cadet, Quebec Liberal Party Critic for Employment, said in writing: "This is an extremely sensitive subject and it is clear to us that grieving a child is an extremely difficult ordeal for both parents. We encourage the government to analyze this particular situation in order to find a passageway. »
A "complex" griefJanie Tremblay, Executive Director of Les Perséides, which helps parents living with perinatal bereavement, welcomes the implementation of this petition, which her organization has been calling for for a long time.
"The grief of the non-carrier parent is really there, we see it on the ground with our workers. We see a lot of depressive symptoms and exhaustion, saysMs. Tremblay on the other end of the phone. It must be remembered that perinatal bereavement is particularly complex in its resolution, among other things, by the fact that the parent has no memories with the child. »
In Quebec, nearly 20,000 families go through perinatal bereavement each year.
"Studies show that the non-carrier parent often experiences a staggered grief. It is said that it can be postponed for up to three years following the loss, "explains Ms. Tremblay, noting that the father often allows himself to grieve when the mother is better. Bereavement leave would therefore recognize the non-surrogate parent's right to grieve shortly after the loss.
The petition will remain online on the National Assembly's website until May 25.
The document asks the government to amend the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) and the Act respecting labour standards, so that in the event of a death occurring between the 20th week of pregnancy of the mother and the first year of life of a child, the parent who did not carry the baby also has access to a five-week leave.
"This is something, if we don't talk about it, that will never become a priority for the government. Something simple to change, which would not cost much since it would be covered by the QPIP, "says in an interview Mr. Zanetti, who is the spokesperson for Québec solidaire for the family.
Nicolas Ratté-Laplante and Marie-Ève Lepage lost their child Philippe last December, during Marie-Ève's31st week of pregnancy. Mr. Ratté-Laplante's insurance, thanks to his job, allowed him to obtain four months of sick leave. However, he is aware that not all fathers are so lucky, and laments that they have to return to work so quickly.
"Work is an environment that is important to value oneself. If you don't feel good, it's complicated. Guys, sometimes, they are further away from their emotions. If they don't agree to cry, it's stuff that we push inside, and then ultimately it may come out in frustration. Certainly, you have to live your emotions, "he says over the phone.
Mr. Ratté-Laplante says he began to feel well two months after the death of his son. "An eight-week is something that I think is required to be able to at least get through the bulk of the storm," he says.
And for Marie-Ève Lepage, it was important to have her spouse by her side, and not to overcome this ordeal alone.
"It's a real birth that we go through, so we need support afterwards," she says. I don't see how a family can rebuild itself after such an ordeal and then go back to work as if nothing had happened five days later. »
Sol Zanetti explains that he launched this petition after several parents contacted him. "There is already a petition that was made several years ago on the subject, which had collected a lot of signatures. And I was very touched by this cause,
and I said to myself: yes, we must revive it, "he says.
For the solidarity MP, this measure is a way of recognizing the mourning of the non-surrogate parent, often a father.
There is something a little, perhaps, of an outdated view of masculinity in that. As if we were saying: the father, he can go back to work the next day, because emotions, he does not have well.
MP Sol Zanetti
"I don't see what argument the government could put forward for not being open to correcting this injustice," the MP said.
"The Parti Québécois has been calling for the extension of parental leave to the second parent for more than ten years. MP Carole Poirier sponsored a petition in this regard in April 2012, which collected more than 12,000 signatures," said PQ MP Joël Arseneau in a written statement.
"The Parti Québécois understands that perinatal bereavement is a trying experience for the couple, a tragedy that is experienced as a couple and must be recognized for the couple," he added.
Madwa-Nika Cadet, Quebec Liberal Party Critic for Employment, said in writing: "This is an extremely sensitive subject and it is clear to us that grieving a child is an extremely difficult ordeal for both parents. We encourage the government to analyze this particular situation in order to find a passageway. »
A "complex" griefJanie Tremblay, Executive Director of Les Perséides, which helps parents living with perinatal bereavement, welcomes the implementation of this petition, which her organization has been calling for for a long time.
"The grief of the non-carrier parent is really there, we see it on the ground with our workers. We see a lot of depressive symptoms and exhaustion, saysMs. Tremblay on the other end of the phone. It must be remembered that perinatal bereavement is particularly complex in its resolution, among other things, by the fact that the parent has no memories with the child. »
In Quebec, nearly 20,000 families go through perinatal bereavement each year.
"Studies show that the non-carrier parent often experiences a staggered grief. It is said that it can be postponed for up to three years following the loss, "explains Ms. Tremblay, noting that the father often allows himself to grieve when the mother is better. Bereavement leave would therefore recognize the non-surrogate parent's right to grieve shortly after the loss.
The petition will remain online on the National Assembly's website until May 25.
