That is such a critical question, Mr. Davies. Thank you for that.
I have to say that right from the get-go, deep fragmentation happens here in British Columbia. There are hundreds of different collective agreements. Many facilities don't have any agreements whatsoever. It also changes from province to province. The impact of COVID has been pretty wide-ranging. Regardless, it has been devastating.
We have to go to the basics. We absolutely need to have national standards across this country about working conditions and the caring conditions that our residents are living in. That means we need to increase the federal transfer funds to provinces so that they can provide the dignified, unrushed care that our residents desperately need. Of course, those transfer funds must be provided, but with accountability attached to them. That's absolutely imperative. We need to address the very basics so that when emergencies such as COVID, SARS and other instances come along, we have the capacity to pivot as quickly as possible.
On top of that, we need to figure out how we provide sick pay for workers. I'm not sure if it's federal or provincial; you all need to figure that out. In the public sector agreement, workers get as many as 18 days a year for sick time. However, in the fragmented long-term care sector, we're lucky if they have five to seven paid sick days. One instance of where they have even one single symptom of COVID can wipe out their sick bank. Then what do they do? We're putting them in an untenable position where they have to feed their family and can't afford not to go to work. That's not okay, especially in this sector.
We need to have a strong sick pay plan. I think it's important to point out that new hires get none. A new hire during COVID works full-time hours alongside a fellow worker. They're getting no sick time. That's where we should really start.