(Montreal) The parent who has not carried his child should also be entitled to a five-week leave in the event of perinatal bereavement, claims a petition filed on the website of the National Assembly, sponsored by the solidarity deputy Sol Zanetti. The petition had more than 1,300 signatures on Saturday.
The document asks the government to amend the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) and the Labor Standards Actso that in the event of death occurring between the 20e week of the mother’s pregnancy and the first year of a child’s life, the non-carrying parent also has access to five weeks’ leave.
“It’s something, if we don’t talk about it, that will never become a government priority. Something simple to change, which would not cost much since it would be covered by the QPIP,” said the spokesperson for Québec solidaire pour la famille in an interview.
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 have to revive it, ”he says.
For the supportive MP, this measure is a way of recognizing the mourning of the parent who is not a carrier, often a father.
“There’s something a bit, perhaps, of an outdated view of masculinity in there. As if we were saying: the father, he can go back to work the next day, because he doesn’t have any emotions,” says Mr. Zanetti.
“I do not see what argument the government could put forward for not being open to correcting this injustice,” argues the MP.
“The Parti Québécois has been asking for the extension of parental leave to the second parent for more than ten years. MP Carole Poirier had sponsored a petition in this regard in April 2012, which collected more than 12,000 signatures,” recalled PQ MP Joël Arseneau in a written statement.
“The Parti Québécois understands that perinatal bereavement is a trying experience for the couple, a drama that is experienced as a couple and must be recognized for the couple,” he added.
A “complex” mourning
Janie Tremblay, the executive director of the organization Les Perséides, which helps parents experiencing perinatal bereavement, welcomes the implementation of this petition, which her organization has been calling for for a long time.
“The mourning of the non-carrier parent is really there, we see it in the field with our workers. We see a lot of depressive symptoms and exhaustion, says Ms.me Tremblay on the line. It must be remembered that perinatal bereavement is particularly complex in its resolution, among other things, because the parent has no memories with the child. »
In Quebec, nearly 20,000 families go through the ordeal of perinatal bereavement each year.
“Studies show that the non-carrier parent often experiences staggered mourning. It is said that it can be postponed for up to three years following the loss, ”explains Mme Tremblay, pointing out that the father often allows himself to grieve when the mother is better. Bereavement leave would therefore recognize the right of the non-carrying parent to mourn soon after the loss.
The petition will remain online on the National Assembly website until May 25.
This dispatch was produced with financial assistance from the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for News.