Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to all the witnesses who came from different parts of our nation to share with us their expertise and excellent recommendations.
I hear again and again about the need to support the informal family caregivers. Statistics show there is a growing demand for family members or even friends to look after seniors.
CARP, a very hard-working, non-profit organization for seniors issues, stated that an estimated $25 billion, or 80%, of care, is provided annually by eight million informal, unpaid caregivers. They are making urgent calls for action to reduce the devastating emotional impact on caregivers, nearly half of whom experience stress or depression. Our job is not only to look after seniors but also to look after those who take care of them.
We have seniors homes and nurses who are well trained to take care of the seniors in their own institutions; however, when we talk about aging in place and about how seniors prefer to stay in their homes, this is a great issue. Then, of course, on our side, we are proposing actions that the government should start working on to support Canadians who are balancing caregiving and working.
My first question is directed to Mr. McDonald from Closing the Gap Healthcare.
You mentioned supporting informal family caregivers. Can you explain more on that?