Thank you.
Recommendations two and three both deal with those kinds of potential supports.
Let me talk first about CPP, which you raised. You're absolutely right that we have parallels in both recommendations two and three. We mention recommendations where the mechanisms are already there, and they need to be transferred and expanded to include family caregivers.
For example, around CPP and the drop-out for individuals who have left work in order to provide care for adult family members, we can apply the same thing you're talking about. Institute government pension contributions on the hours of work provided by family caregivers, effectively ascribing a value to caregiving. So count them toward the contribution--you talked about that. Create a caregiver-specific pension that would operate like an income supplement.
Those are the kinds of things we have to look at. Basically it's unrealistic to expect that, voila, it's going to happen. Maybe there is a need for a CPP working group to look at those issues as we move forward. Many of us are willing to help with that.
The second area we talked about had to do with increased support through a caregiver, an infirm dependant tax benefit. Your party has raised those issues in recent weeks. Increasing the amount of both credits would help caregivers with more of the costs they incur. Then multiply the caregiving credit to the phased-out credit we talked about before. The drop-off rate is minimal--about $18,000--and the minute you earn $18,000 you can't phase out those benefits. Also, make a caregiver credit refundable, as in Quebec and Manitoba.
Again, if we can't get those things included, maybe an expert advisory committee of your own should be looking at it and moving that forward.