Petition to the Minister of National Revenue
Whereas:
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
The 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.
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Minister of National Revenue to immediately act to modify the rules of operation of the Canada Child Benefit to continue CCB payments for two months after the death of a child under 18 years old.