Answer
Yes I agree with your activism around MS and the thoughtful points you list.
I believe we need a kinder, gentler government that takes into account that Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world and more than 75 per cent of those diagnosed with the disease are women. Between the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people with disabilities and women and the pre-existing barriers they already faced, too many in the MS community are struggling. They need the Government of Canada to step up and support them.
I will work to make Work…WORK with fewer weeks required to accommodate part time workers, We also need to implement an Annual Income to put an end to poverty, which affects many with health issues.
I agree MS needs more research and we need for training of health care workers so we have sufficient staffing.
I support Take Action for MS!
You have my support for these needed changes. Do I have yours?
Be Active, Be Kind!Think Green Vote Janine!
Janine
Question
Dear Ms. Gibson,
I am a voter in Provencher and am writing to ask you as a candidate in this federal election to #TakeActionforMS for the 90,000 Canadians living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and thousands more in the MS community affected every day by this unpredictable, episodic, and progressive disease.
Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world and more than 75 per cent of those diagnosed with the disease are women. Between the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people with disabilities and women and the pre-existing barriers they already faced, too many in the MS community are struggling. They need the Government of Canada to step up and support them.
This federal election you can be a part of the work to #TakeActionforMS by supporting these recommendations:
Make work…work
- Continue to update the EI Sickness Benefit to make it more inclusive of Canadians with episodic disabilities by reducing the hours needed for eligibility from 600 to 400, by removing the one week waiting period, and by eliminating the clawback in the Working While on Claim provision.
Make ends meet
- Implement the Canada Disability Benefit to make direct payments to individuals who live with a disability, specifically including episodic disability as defined in the Accessible Canada Act.
Make access a reality
- Accelerate reforms to pharmaceutical policy to ensure everyone who lives with MS can access the MS treatments they need regardless of where they live or how much money they earn.
- Invest in home and community care to enable people who live with MS to stay in their own homes and communities for as long as possible.
- Create an age-appropriate care and housing approach for long-term care that specifically includes the perspectives of young adults with MS.
Make MS research a priority
- Invest critical funds in health research in partnership with health charities, invest in basic scientific research and connect with health charities like the MS Society of Canada to ensure the lived experience and patient voice is paramount.
There are now 2.8 million people worldwide who have MS, according to the most extensive global study to date. Currently, every five minutes, someone, somewhere in the world is diagnosed with MS. Here in Canada, that means 12 people are newly diagnosed every single day. Canadians know that MS can be harsh. Unfair. Overwhelming. A disease that always takes away, never gives back, and always threatens to take again.
The time is now to #TakeActionForMS and implement these recommendations. If you want to learn more about them, please click here to visit the MS Society of Canada website.
Please let me know if I can count on you to #TakeActionForMS this federal election by replying to my email and by posting on your social media channels tagging @MSSocietyCanada and using #TakeActionForMS.