Summit lays the groundwork for a national caregiving strategy

To spur actionable policies and support the millions of Canadian caregivers and care providers, the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence (CCCE) held its first Caregiving Summit in Ottawa earlier this month.

The event, held November 6 to 8, brought together 350 stakeholders in person and an additional 150 online to learn from leaders, policymakers, people with lived experience and researchers – all to lay the groundwork for a Canadian caregiving strategy.  

“Who will care for our loved ones? Who will care for us as we grow older? Just as importantly, who will care for the caregivers? And who will care for the care providers?” asked André Picard, health reporter for The Globe and Mail, in his keynote address on the first morning. “Answering these questions matters because the answers will profoundly impact us, individually and collectively.”  

Over the next three days, various people on numerous panels and keynotes gave input into this significant question. They also addressed the social, psychological and financial impacts caregivers and care providers face nationwide, including LGBTQ+, Indigenous and racialized communities. 

“If all caregivers took a week off, the care systems in Canada would collapse before noon on the first day,” says Liv Mendelsohn, Executive Director of CCCE, which the Azrieli Foundation founded in May 2022. “Public policy reform is needed to address the care crisis in Canada fully, for eventually all of us will be a caregiver or need to receive care.” 

One event highlight was the Parliamentary reception, where all parties discussed these critical issues. As MP Melissa Lantsman said at the event, “Caregiving is not a party issue; it’s a Canadian issue.” 

And the work continues. With the Summit concluded, the CCCE will further its journey toward making Canada the best place in the world to give and receive care.