By Monique Tamminga - Langley Times

When Relay For Life rolls into McLeod Athletic Park on May 22, cancer survivor Zosia Ettenberg will be there, with petition in hand and an apology for Langley MP Mark Warawa.

She has spent the last year collecting hundreds of signatures to petition the federal government to provide EI coverage similar to that of 12 months of maternity leave for cancer victims.

Warawa has presented pages of those signatures in Ottawa. But when Ettenberg got a letter in the mail recently from Warawa and from the Ministry of Human Resources, she took that as the government turning down the petitions.

“I didn’t understand that this was just an interim report. I thought it was the be-all, end-all,” she said.
 
Warawa called Ettenberg after reading about her decision to drop the petition and the disappointment she expressed in a Times story.

“These letters were sent to her to keep her in the loop, letting her know that the process is still ongoing,” said Warawa.

“Mark fought to have compassionate care EI brought in and it took a long time, but he did it. He said he’ll continue submitting the petitions,” she said.

“I’ve presented the petitions seven times. Each time it evokes a response from the minister,” said Warawa. “Change takes a long time. I like the idea and I think it has a bigger impact if we spread out the petition pages. It’s premature to give up and I’d be willing to keep going.”

The MP said his heart goes out to people struggling with cancer and not able to work as a result.

EI across the board has been extended by five weeks to help the thousands who have lost their jobs in this economic crisis.

Because Canada is in a recession, EI extensions beyond that might not happen right now, he said. But that doesn’t mean anyone should give up.

So Ettenberg won’t. She’s revised the petition a bit and will be back in force collecting signatures.

“The same people can sign twice,” she points out. She has revised the petition slightly, to remind the government that many people can’t afford private insurance. Anyone who wants to help distribute petitions is asked to contact Ettenberg at zosia@telus.net.