OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 15, 2021 – The Canadian Association for Long Term Care (CALTC), CanAge, Canadian Nurses Association and HealthCareCAN are calling on all federal parties to champion a new dedicated federal transfer to improve long-term care and home care supports, including elder abuse prevention: the Canadian Seniors Care Transfer (CSCT).
Historically, federal investments across the continuum of seniors’ care have been limited or not prioritized in overall health budgets. This has resulted in under-resourcing of long-term care (LTC) and home care supports for ageing in place. CALTC, CanAge, Canadian Nurses Association and HealthCareCAN recognize that seniors’ care looks different in every province and territory, as each jurisdictional government regulates seniors care in different ways.
CALTC, CanAge, Canadian Nurses Association and HealthCareCAN propose that the CSCT would grow on a predictable escalator over the next 10 years. We recommend supplementing the increased health-related costs faced by provinces and territories struggling to support an ageing population through a dedicated “seniors transfer”. This would increase federal funding committed to seniors’ care to $23B across the care continuum care.
A Canadian Seniors Care Transfer would allow federal policymakers to strike the right balance, respecting these differences while also ensuring that provinces and territories have dedicated funding that must be used to enhance seniors’ care in their jurisdiction. To learn more about the CSCT, visit caltc.ca/elections.
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About CALTC
The Canadian Association for Long Term Care (CALTC) is committed to ensuring quality long-term care for all. As the leading voice for quality long-term care in Canada, CALTC advocates on behalf of seniors at the federal level and shares knowledge, insights, and best practices to ensure seniors can live and age with dignity.
About CanAGE
CanAge is Canada’s national seniors’ advocacy organization, working to improve the lives of older adults through advocacy, policy, and community engagement. We are a non-partisan, non-profit organization and backed by a broad pan-Canadian membership base. Find out more.
About Canadian Nurses Association
The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is the national and global professional voice of Canadian nursing. We represent registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed and registered practical nurses, registered psychiatric nurses and retired nurses across all 13 provinces and territories.
About HealthCareCAN
HealthCareCAN is the national voice of healthcare organizations and hospitals across Canada. We foster informed and continuous, results-oriented discovery and innovation across the continuum of healthcare. For more information visit www.healthcarecan.ca.
Media Contact:
Liz Thompson, media@caltc.ca
