Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today as part of your study of Bill C-30 on the spring economic update.
My name is James Janeiro. I'm with the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence. We are a pan-Canadian organization focused on caregivers, which is to say parents, siblings, friends and neighbours, as well as care providers such as personal support workers and direct support professionals.
We cover the full spectrum of care, from supporting children with disabilities to lifelong mental health challenges, aging and end-of-life care. Our goal is to make Canada the best place in the world to give and receive care.
My commentary today will focus on the proposed amendments to the disability tax credit, colloquially known as the DTC. These include, but are not limited to, allowing more medical professionals to certify DTC applications and critically simplifying and streamlining certification for certain long-lasting or lifelong medical conditions, including amputation, significant autism and Alzheimer's disease. These measures are a significant step forward for people receiving the DTC and the caregivers in their lives. My organization has been advocating for precisely this and similar reforms for years. We are very happy to see these measures being considered.
One in four Canadians is a caregiver today, and half of us will be a caregiver at some point in our lives. Our recent report, “Caring in Canada 2026”, showed in, frankly, hard numbers what caregivers and recipients of care know far too well. Caregivers are not doing well, and they are in urgent need of support from their government. Caregivers' number one need from our report is for financial support.
Nearly half of caregivers have experienced financial strain due to their care responsibilities. About one-fifth of caregivers are spending $1,000 or more every month on out-of-pocket costs, such as nutritional supplements, paid care work and incontinence supplies. Moreover, approximately 20% of caregivers have stopped saving entirely, which jeopardizes their ability to manage personal financial shocks, such as a lost job, as well as their long-term prospects for retirement. Unfortunately, the impact of this financial strain, alongside the physical, emotional and psychological toll of caregiving, is that 77% of caregivers say their well-being has suffered as a result. Moreover, 61% of caregivers say they do not feel supported by their government, and 44% are disappointed in progress to date on caregiving issues.
Measures such as those being studied today respond to many of the felt needs caregivers tell us they experience every day. Nearly one-third of caregivers manage the tax and financial administration of the care recipients in their lives, the vast majority of whom would benefit from the DTC. Unfortunately, though, more than half of caregivers are unaware of tax supports like the DTC, and only 13% have accessed them.
Delving deeper into our data, it becomes clear that the administrative burden underneath the DTC is a major barrier to caregivers accessing the credit themselves or on behalf of a loved one. Now, though it may seem pedantic to talk about administrative burden, remember that caregivers and the people they support are dealing with the DTC in addition to reams of other paperwork attached to federal and provincial credits, benefits and other programs. Although all of this is well intentioned and essential, the combined impact is a never-ending series of nearly identical forms, unnecessary medical appointments and subsequent waiting periods as people wait for one program to unlock another.
The changes you're debating will make it easier for current and potential beneficiaries of the DTC to access this important support and eliminate some of the administrivia that comes from being a caregiver or person with a disability in Canada. Critically, this will also unlock the Canada disability benefit for many people who need financial support.
This is truly an important step forward for caregivers and recipients of care, and it has my full support. My hope though is that this is just the beginning and that comprehensive work will be undertaken to reform the other tax measures that tend to go hand in hand with the DTC, including the medical expenses tax credits and, of course, making the Canada caregiver credit refundable. All of these measures taken together could be the basis of a national caregiving strategy, as promised by this government in the last election. Such a strategy would provide a coordinated framework to better support the one in four Canadians who are caregivers today.
Caregivers are essential to our health and social systems, as well as to our overall productivity and long-term economic growth. Better is both necessary and possible. I look forward to the committee's work on this bill.
Thank you for your time, and I welcome your questions.
Back to you, Madam Chair.