A brighter future of care

Caregiving is the next frontier in Canadian public policy. One in four Canadians give care to a family member, friend, or neighbour, and half will be a caregiver in their lifetime. Though most Canadians will need care or give care at some point in our lives, families are stretched thin, and people with disabilities and our elders are struggling. Care providers are leaving the sector due to stress and low wages.

Canada needs a National Caregiving Strategy with tangible policy solutions to meaningfully support all those who give care, including paid care providers.

Developing a National Caregiving Strategy

From spring to fall 2024 we ran a pan-Canadian co-design consultation process, connecting caregivers, care providers and leaders across the disability, aging, healthcare, and illness communities to help us prioritize what caregivers and care providers need the most.

As part of this process, we:

  1. Assembled a national Care Champions Table, gathering leaders from across the aging, disability and healthcare focused organizations, as well as caregivers and care providers to provide structured input into the strategy.
  2. Published an online consultation form, allowing caregivers to provide real time input into the strategy.
  3. Offered four virtual consultation sessions throughout National Caregiver Month, inviting caregivers the chance to tell us what is most important to them.
  4. Partnered with organizations from coast to coast to coast to offer webinars to their stakeholders and audiences
  5. Consulted with caregivers and care providers at various conferences and convenings.

We have heard from countless people from coast to coast to coast who need support now. Canada can be the greatest place in the world to give and receive care. A National Caregiving Strategy can help us achieve this goal.

National Caregiving Strategy Consultations

Our online consultation form is now closed. If you would like to speak to a member of our team about your priorities for a National Caregiving Strategy, contact [email protected].

Care Champions Table

The National Care Champions Table brings together leaders across the ageing, disability and illness communities, as well as researchers and people with lived experience to help support, advise, and promote policy ideas that will benefit all those who give care. The purpose of this group is to support CCCE craft an effective and practical strategy. 

The group will meet regularly throughout the year to provide critical input into the development of the strategy. They will also engage their communities to ensure that a wide diversity of caregiver and care provider perspectives are included in the process.

Aimée Foreman
Founder and CEO, Silvermark

Alyssa Brierley
Executive Director, National Institute on Ageing

Amanda MacKenzie
National Director, External Affairs, March of Dimes of Canada

Amy Coupal
Executive Director, Ontario Caregiver Organization

Bill Adair
Executive Director, Spinal Cord Injury Canada

Catherine Riddell
Manager, Health Networks, Children’s Healthcare Canada

Christa Haanstra
Strategic Advisor and Caregiver Advocate, former Co-Chair Caregivers CAN

Daniel Nowoselski
Advocacy Manager, Canadian Cancer Society

Darrel Gregory
Executive Director, Caregivers Alberta

Donna Thomson
Caregiver and Author

Grant Bruno
Researcher, University of Alberta

Holly Prince
Researcher, Lakehead University

Jennifer Churchill
Executive Director, Empowered Kids Ontario

Jenny Theriault
Executive Director, Caregivers Nova Scotia

Jodi Hall
Executive Director, Canadian Association for Long-Term Care

Jonathan Lai
Executive Director, Autism Alliance of Canada

Juanita Forte
Care Provider, Direct Support Professional Fellow

Katrina Prescott
Co-Chair, Caregivers CAN

Krista Carr
Executive Director, Inclusion Canada

Laura LaChance
CEO, Canadian Down Syndrome Society

Laura Tamblyn-Watts
CEO, CanAge

Laurel Gillespie
Executive Director, Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association

Lauren Rettinger
Director, Government Relations, Parkinsons Canada

Lorin MacDonald
Founder and Principal, HearVue

Magalie Dumas
Deputy Director General, L’Appui des proches aidants

Nadine Henningsen
Executive Director, Canadian Home Care Association

Dr. Naomi Lightman
Researcher, Toronto Metropolitan University

Dr. Nathan Stall
Geriatrician, Sinai Health; Researcher, University Health Network

Neil Belanger
Executive Director, British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society

Nicole Dauz
Co-Chair, Caregivers CAN

Nora Spinks
Founder, Work-Life Harmony

Oliver Fitzpatrick
Young Carers Coordinator, AMI-Quebec

Patrice Lindsay
Director, Health Systems Change, Heart and Stroke Foundation

Roslyn Shields
Senior Policy Analyst, CAMH

Sarah Calderwood
Vice President, Government Relations, Alzheimer Society Canada

Scott Robins
Care Provider, Direct Support Professionals Fellow

Tanya MacDonald
Director, Strategic Initiatives, Health Excellence Canada

Thomas Simpson
Vice President, CNIB Voice and Executive Director, Come to Work, Canadian National Institute for the Blind

Tyler Downey
Secretary-Treasurer, SEIU Healthcare

Barb MacLean
Executive Director, Family Caregivers of British Columbia