I’m going to come back to the national seniors framework that we’re talking about. It is very important — the care economy and the caregivers, et cetera — but I want to focus on the seniors themselves. I’m looking at one of the very vulnerable groups — seniors in seniors’ homes — and I’m going back to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In two of the most populous areas in Canada, as well as in some of our First Nations, some seniors had no care. These were privately owned homes in many cases. It meant that you had to actually call in the Canadian Armed Forces to provide care for these seniors. There were at least two provincial inquiries into why this occurred. One of the things that came out of those inquiries is the absolute lack of standards in nursing homes. My question goes back to the value of a national seniors strategy that would include within it the requirement to have standards for care in all residential seniors’ —

Yes. That inquiry and the recommendations that came out of it were certainly welcomed by our government. My understanding from my colleague in the Department of Health is we work closely with provincial and territorial parties that are responsible for the delivery of health care and for the adoption and implementation of those recommendations.

Certainly, we encourage the adoption of those recommendations and their implementation at the provincial level, while also respecting the jurisdiction of the provinces, with their right to the administration of health care.

Will your government commit to creating a national seniors’ care strategy that includes these standards in order to even reassure things like the federal health care funding transfer?

Thank you. Yes, we are working on a national caregiving strategy. Despite the fact that health and social programs mostly fall under provincial and territorial jurisdiction, we are providing an array of support for the care economy and caregivers. That includes the Canada Health Transfer, the Aging with Dignity bilateral agreements, which are absolutely key, as well as additional caregiving benefits and work with Employment Insurance on leave for other caregivers as well. Thank you.