An amendment to the ANI (Accord National Interprofessionnel) which became effective on July 1, 2009 had provided workers leaving an organization with the option of keeping the health insurance and pension benefits that were provided to them during their period of unemployment.  This currently applies only to employers who are affiliated with members of union organizations that have signed the ANI, it is expected that the ANI will soon be extended to all companies.  The amendment has the following features—

Extended benefits are available to all employees, including those on short-term contracts, who have worked with their current employer for at least a month, and who currently participate in the company benefit plans.

Coverage will be extended for a period of time equal to the employee’s employment contract, up to a maximum of 9 months.

Employees may refuse the coverage if they chose.  To do so they must provide written notice of this decision to their employer within 10 days of the termination of their employment.

Post-retirement health benefits will also be available to those employees who retire after leaving the company.

These benefits will be funded by either sharing the cost of contributions between the employer and the former employee or by a previously agreed-upon method defined by a collective agreement.  This applies only to workers who leave an organization not to workers who retire.
“Health and pension coverage extended for dismissed employees,” Watson Wyatt, September 2009.