Members of the military who are posted overseas could soon be able to apply for parental leave up to two years after the birth or adoption of their child.
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre is pushing for the new legislation after a chance meeting with a member of the Canadian Forces during the last election.
Jim Duquette was posted overseas four days after his son was born. However, when he returned home and applied for parental benefits through EI, he was told too much time had passed since his son's birth and he was no longer eligible.
"The thought that he could take the leave when he got home helped us get through that year," said Anne Duquett, Jim's wife.
When the couple was denied the benefits, they were devastated. Currently, prisoners in jail even have the right to extended parental leave.
Poilievre is now campaigning to change the rules and help other military families who might find themselves in a similar situation.
"That'll give them the chance to spend valuable time with their young children -- time that they might have missed while they were sacrificing for all of us," he said.
Duquette is now serving in Afghanistan. His wife says the proposed legislation is proof that one person can make a difference.
"I think it proved that one individual speaking out can make a difference and in this way it's a positive difference," she said.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Norman Fetterley
