Good morning, Mr. Chair. On behalf of the Alzheimer Society of Canada, let me thank you all for the opportunity to appear before you and the members of this committee today.
We did submit a pre-budget submission. We recommended that the government invest $150 million over five years for the creation of a Canadian Alzheimer's disease and dementia partnership to support the implementation of a national dementia strategy for Canada. I have a copy of our partnership document here that we can make available to all of you. Today I'd like to talk a little bit about how the CADDP, or what we call the partnership, and the national dementia strategy would help Canadians living with this disease as well as their caregivers.
Dementia is a chronic, progressive health condition, and it has no cure. Today 564,000 Canadians live with dementia, and we expect this number to rise to 937,000 by 2031. This is an increase of 66% in just 15 years. Some of you seated around the table may know someone or may be related to someone who has dementia. In fact, three out of four Canadians do. I lost my own mother to dementia just this past July.
Dementia's growing numbers are further complicated by soaring costs. According to the national population health study of neurological conditions, which was funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, in 2016 our economy is spending $10.4 billion on health care and caregiver costs. By 2031 this figure is expected to increase by 60% to $16.6 billion. These numbers are too big to ignore. Nor can we ignore the people behind these numbers who struggle to cope with the malicious effects of this disease each and every day. Women are especially affected. They represent 60% of Canadians with dementia and 70% of caregivers.
Caregiving is another aspect of dementia that we can't afford to ignore. In 2011 alone, family caregivers provided a staggering 19.2 million unpaid hours of care, which is expected to double by 2031. The amount of time and stress involved with caregiving can result in losses in productivity for our economy, including lost work days and underperformance on the job, losses that our economy and my co-presenters who are here today can't afford to ignore. Worse yet, it forces many caregivers to have to leave their jobs.
Clearly we're facing a challenge, but there are solutions. We welcome the recent action by Minister Duclos to seek the views of Canadians on providing a more inclusive caregiving benefit for those who provide care to a family member. Even the smallest level of financial assistance will allow family caregivers to remain employed and in the workforce for longer.
A change in policy will reduce the number of lost work days and boost our GDP. While this is a small but positive step, dementia requires bold action. It requires a comprehensive approach. The best thing we can do for Canadians and their families is to adopt a national dementia strategy, and that's why the Alzheimer Society has proposed a Canadian Alzheimer's disease and dementia partnership to guide the development and implementation of a national strategy. It would involve multiple stakeholders working together and a public health approach.
A pan-Canadian dementia strategy would ensure that all Canadians with dementia and their caregivers will have access to the same level and quality of care and services no matter where they live. This strategy would be based on a number of priorities and objectives that clearly fall within the federal government's mandate. It would ensure tangible benefits for people affected by dementia.
We have three priorities for a national strategy. These include investing more in scientific and medical research and innovation; prevention, early detection, and early intervention; and living well with dementia—ensuring people with dementia and their caregivers can live as well as possible as they progress through this disease.
We are running against the clock. Each year, 25,000 Canadians are diagnosed with dementia.
I firmly believe that solutions are within reach and that we can make a difference for hundreds of thousands of Canadians. On behalf of the Alzheimer Society, I ask you first to commit to an investment of $150 million over five years to create a Canadian Alzheimer's disease and dementia partnership. Second, I ask you to support private member's Bill C-233, an act respecting a national strategy for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, when it returns to the House—shortly, I hope—for third reading.
Mr. Chair and committee members, thank you so much for your time. I'd be pleased to answer any questions you may have.