This petition asks the federal government to increase the Memorial Grant for families of first responders who die on duty, adjusting it for inflation since 2018 and making it automatically updated each year going forward.

In 2018, the Government of Canada established the Memorial Grant Program for First Responders to provide a tax-free benefit to the surviving families of fire fighters, paramedics, police officers, and other eligible public safety personnel who lose their lives in the line of duty;

The Memorial Grant Program provides a one-time benefit of $300,000, which has remained unchanged since the program was established in 2018;

Since 2018, inflation has increased by approximately 25%, significantly reducing the real value of the benefit and the financial support available to surviving families;

Numerous federal benefits and pension programs are automatically indexed to inflation to preserve their intended value, but not the Memorial Grant Program for First Responders; and

Families of first responders who make the ultimate sacrifice in service to Canadians deserve a benefit that ensures the long-term support originally intended by Parliament.

We, the undersigned,Citizens and Residents of Canada, call upon theGovernment of Canadato: 1. Increase the Memorial Grant Program for First Responders to reflect the cumulative increase in the Consumer Price Index since the program was established in 2018; and 2. Amend the Memorial Grant Program so that the benefit is automatically indexed annually to the Consumer Price Index, as published by Statistics Canada.