ACTRA is calling on the Liberals, NDP and Bloc to support the Conservative government’s plan for extending parental leave benefits to self-employed Canadians.

The performers union — which has a history of being at odds with the Tories — says the majority of its 21,000 members are among the 2.6 million Canadians who are self-employed and are not entitled to basic benefits such as employment insurance, including maternity and paternity leave benefits.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced on Sept. 15 that a re-elected Conservative government would give self-employed Canadians the chance to access these benefits.

‘Our union has been fighting for years to get governments at all levels to recognize that our members, like all self-employed Canadians, deserve the same rights and access to benefits as other workers. This is a positive first step by the federal government,’ commented ACTRA national president Ferne Downey in a Friday release.

ACTRA’s national executive director Stephen Waddell is urging the Liberals, NDP and Bloc to ‘avoid an election and get this initiative passed into law.’

‘This legislation is a question of basic fairness and equal treatment for Canadian workers,’ he added.