Let's skip the numbers. At the very least, it is important to understand that there is a tiny proportion of elderly people. You could say that there are between about 5% to 8% of elderly people who live in private homes or in the community, and who need intensive services. These people need an integrated approach to health care.
We know what to do, don't we? There are Canadian examples, such as SIPA. I distributed an article on that subject. Another program could have been a good Canadian example, if the Canadian Department of Veterans Affairs had implemented the report of the Gerontological Advisory Council, a report it had produced for the Department of Veterans Affairs, in 2006. This report recommended the creation of an integrated system which would have allowed the federal government to create a benchmark system integrating health care services for the elderly, in this case, elderly veterans.
In conclusion, I believe that the federal government has three roles to play which are all very important. First, the government must develop a benchmark sector for a certain part of the population, such as veterans, and, of course, first nations, and this sector would fall under federal jurisdiction. In so doing, the government would have the opportunity to test certain things, and to implement policies that may eventually be beneficial to all Canadians.
Second, funding is important, as well. There are other figures in the articles I have given you, and which I talked about. Regarding the elderly, it is impossible to separate health care services and social services. The elderly are in a unique situation. Therefore, funding must reflect that particular model. It is important that funding be appropriate for a category of people, and that it support all health care services. But to achieve this, we must think beyond the Canada Health Act.
Lastly, as Dr. Reichman said, innovation, innovation, innovation. The federal government will have to invest in innovation. It has done so in the past, but it seems to have forgotten about it along the way, and it is time that it reinvest in innovation.