Compassionate Leave of Absence... isn't all that compassionate

A quick note on compassionate leave of absence- as it has not yet been elaborated on and warrants social critique. This is a tax route policy that was first introduced in 2004 . Generally it was enacted to provide employees, facing the death of a loved one, the ability to leave from their job with benefits protected for up to six weeks. Six weeks is allotted for individuals to care for loved ones until death, arrange funeral processions and bereave this loss- which seems like a short period of time in which to do all of this. However, that aside, there are inherent restrictions in the eligibility process to gain access to this service.

How to Qualify for compassionate leave of absence?
- The employee must be employed for a company that is covered by Employment insurance
- They must have at least 600 hours of earnings.
- They must obtain a certificate from the physician stating the individuals needing care is at risk of death- within 26 weeks of death to be exact.
- Must be a direct family member.

This seems like a lengthy and trialing procedure to have to go through on top of the toils and demands of caring for the dying- in fact, the restrictions are so tight that only 5-6% of those who would qualify for this service actually use it. It is systematically inaccessible and unrealistic to expect individuals to go through this rigorous process while going through such a vulnerable time of life. Also, it is highly discriminatory to caregivers who are not direct family members of the dying individual. Furthermore, physician are often reluctant to say- and caregivers to hear, that someone’s death is immediately inevitable- also this is not always clear whether death is a risk. Therefore, this policy- in theory is compassionate but in practice it is far from it and begs to be reassessed.