e-3526 (Social affairs and equality)

Petition to the Minister of National Revenue

• The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) is designated to help families with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age;
• Around 5.1 per 1,000 children under 18 years of age die every year in Canada from different causes;
• Losing a child generates unexpected monetary expenses for grieving families, most of whom had been already struggling with the cost of caring for a seriously ill child;
• The funeral and burial costs for a child should be considered as part of the costs associated with raising the deceased child;
• Funeral costs, as well as other expenses associated with death, can be significant and there is no public program to help families to cover said expenses when a child dies;
• It would be in line with the spirit of the CCB program to continue providing payments for two months after the death of a child to help with the burden of funeral costs; and
• This limited extension of the CCB after the death of a child would not represent an excessive burden in the public budget, as the cost would be greatly offset by the benefit this would represent for grieving families.