Our number one ask certainly is, let's live up to the promise of the Canada caregiver credit. Let's change it from non-refundable to refundable, which would have the immediate effect of putting about $1,250 in the hands of caregivers every year.
That may not sound like a lot for all of us around the table, but certainly for the 20% of caregivers who earn less than $20,000 a year, even that extra hundred bucks at the end of the month is a little bit more room. It's one more trip to the grocery store, for example, or just a little bit more flexibility on their ability to make ends meet.
Number one, let's do that. It's been committed to and it's certainly in the mandate letter. Let's live up to that and make that happen.
For number two, we were very happy to see a commitment in the last budget to a national caregiving strategy. The government has yet to say what's in and what's out of the national caregiving strategy. We have some ideas, which we're very happy to share and we have shared. I've shared a few around the table today. However, for the purpose of the budget, certainly the imperative is that the proper strategy be funded, so it is not just words on a page or a report on a shelf, but rather that whatever measures are included in that strategy are properly funded from the beginning and in perpetuity.