VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Canada should follow other countries and give families time to mourn their loss after a miscarriage, local advocates say, but there doesn’t seem to be much political appetite to do so.
New Zealand has just passed a bill allowing for three days’ bereavement at full pay for mothers and fathers after a miscarriage.
“Canada, I believe, is behind a lot of nations. We’re one of the only developed nations in the world that does not have a national bereavement strategy,” Joshua Dahling of the Camp Kerry Society said.
He says there are some efforts underway towards getting bereavement leave for parents who experienced a miscarriage.
“There are a number of organizations that have banded together we have the National Bereavement Alliance, who are working together to try and normalize conversations,” Dahling said.
Dahling says he’s reached out to the federal and provincial government.
“Basically, the response was there is no funding for bereavement care, and I presume that provincial governments are waiting on the federal government to introduce some changes,” he said.
The bill in New Zealand passed with unanimous support in the legislature, and includes leave for parents planning to have children. The New Zealand legislation also includes leave for parents planning to have children through adoption or surrogacy.