Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd first like to acknowledge the Algonquin Anishnaabeg peoples, from whose traditional lands I am speaking to you today.
My name is Mike Villeneuve and I am the CEO at the Canadian Nurses Association. I've worked in and around health systems for over 40 years, 37 of those as a registered nurse.
I would very much like to thank the committee for the opportunity to present recommendations from CNA, which is the national and global professional voice of Canadian nursing.
In this extraordinary global crisis, nurses, who in our country are the largest group of health care professionals, are playing an enormous role across the country. We're alarmed by the growing number of cases now being reported and we are especially concerned with the spread to indigenous and isolated communities and to vulnerable people. They are disproportionately affected.
Throughout the pandemic, we have learned important lessons. We've seen challenges with pandemic preparedness across the country and have witnessed the devastating effects of the disease in long-term care homes. We've also seen our health care system quickly adapting to the expansion of virtual care.
While our August submission recommends a suite of actions, I'd like to focus on three of them.
First, we strongly recommend that the federal government take a leadership role in redesigning what it means to age in our country. Despite the devastating impact in long-term care homes during the first months of the pandemic, the second wave is rehashing vulnerabilities in the sector. Even with lessons learned, staffing, supplies and physical plant issues remain critical.
To address these challenges CNA has called on the federal government to lead the development of national standards for institutional long-term care. We were encouraged to see new investments in the fall economic statement and national standards reflected in the Speech from the Throne, as well as helping people to age in place. We strongly encourage the committee to support the development of these standards.
Furthermore, it's critical that federal health transfers meet the needs of Canada's aging population. It was estimated that aging would drive about 20% of increases in health care spending over the next decade. We urge the committee to support a demographic top-up to the Canada health transfer, as the pandemic has only exacerbated the challenges older adults face. This would enhance the ability of provinces and territories to deliver care in the longer term, investing in that whole trajectory of home and community care, long-term care, and palliative and end-of-life care.
Our second recommendation relates to further enhancing pandemic preparedness. We must all remain focused in fighting the pandemic. It's nowhere near over. Despite the promises of a vaccine on the horizon, we will be in a chronic emergency for months to come. In a recent survey, nurses identified the supply of personal protective equipment as one of their top three concerns during the second wave of the pandemic. Investments in 2021 must ensure availability of PPE, capacity to conduct viral testing and contact tracing, and an equitable distribution of vaccines, especially to vulnerable groups.
Finally, CNA encourages the committee to support expanding virtual care. The sudden acceleration in virtual care has been a long-awaited shift for our health system. This is good. While barriers still exist, the role of virtual care should be scaled up. Virtual care can lower costs and improve access to health care, particularly for indigenous people and others in rural and remote areas, and people who struggle in any way to access primary care. However, to expand virtual care, fast and affordable Internet access needs to be made available to all, and here we know the government can exert a strong and helpful influence.
In closing, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unparalleled disruptions to social, health and economic systems around the globe, as I don't need to tell any of you. We now have an opportunity, though, to bring about some essential transformations to our health care system and create a safer, healthier and more equitable society for all.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will do my best to answer any questions.