QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Palliative Care
December 1, 2020
I will continue in the same vein as Senator Bovey.
You said that the federal government’s role in health is to provide support and leadership. I would like to talk to you about palliative care.
Quebec has established that it usually needs one bed per 10,000 inhabitants to meet the demand for palliative care. One bed costs approximately $180,000 per year.
I asked the office of the Minister of Health to provide me with the amounts allocated to each province for palliative care. I was extremely surprised to receive a reply, but I was even more surprised by the reply itself.
British Columbia receives $12.8 million, which funds about 74 beds, or approximately 13%; Alberta receives $8 million for about 47 beds, or 10% of needs; Saskatchewan receives $5 million for 29 beds, which represents 23% of needs; Manitoba receives $2 million for 12 beds, or 8%; and New Brunswick receives $3 million for 17 beds, when it needs 78 beds.
Leader, given that we are studying Bill C-7, do you think that the federal government is providing support and leadership with respect to funding for palliative care when it gives $3 million to New Brunswick?
Thank you for raising the importance of this aspect of our health care system that helps ensure that people can be properly cared for, especially at the end-of-life stage. However, I must point out that there is a host of programs and transfers in place for every level of government.
The federal government recognizes its responsibility for contributing to health care funding, just as it recognizes the needs of the provinces. It also respects the priorities of the provinces that receive significant transfers from the federal government, without conditions, in order to invest in the most important sectors.
Leader, in my region, there is a palliative care home with seven beds. It has to reject 53% of the applications it receives because of the shortage of beds.
Half its budget, or $650,000 a year, has to be raised by the public through fundraisers. These are volunteers who try to raise 50% of the palliative care home’s budget.
Do you really think the federal government is playing its role of providing support and leadership to Maison Sercan in Saint-Eustache?
I tip my hat to you for your involvement, Senator Carignan. I have no doubt that other senators are involved in fundraisers to help palliative care centres, which unfortunately still do not receive enough public funding.
Again, I think that the federal government recognizes its responsibility, and I believe that it is making a good contribution. With the aging population and growing health costs, there will never be enough funding to help the volunteers. I thank you for your question.
Honourable senators, the time for Question Period has expired.
