Human Resources Committee on Nov. 9th, 2017

[John Beaney]

It's a very important question to help in planning. I would very much engage in different programs and ideas for financial planning, in the event of both managing the processes of death of the loved one and also, perhaps, supporting the family members as they cope with that afterwards. Sometimes they're not able to work.

It's part of a bigger discussion around planning for death and those end-of-life happenings, but also for the care they might need moving up to death or approaching that end-of-life time. People need to start planning sooner in life. We actually need to start talking about our younger generation here, to plan sooner in order to afford the care they may need as well as prepare for the time when they eventually pass on.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Thank you.

Mr. Adegun,would you like to comment on that? Are death care services an issue in your community?

I have 20 seconds.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Maybe 15 seconds.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Ten seconds.

[Dr. Olufemi Adegun]

Definitely it's an issue. We are talking about...big rates all over Canada. It's very important to plan ahead. That's where the government supports come in at this particular point in time.

You raised the issue of something being frozen since 1998, so this is the time to bring it back. I believe, definitely, that the committee will do something right now to bring it back, to support the planning of death for our seniors.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you very much.

MP Rachel Blaney, please, for three minutes.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Shiner, I'll come back to you.

I appreciated the report “Seniors' Housing in Atlantic Canada”. Unfortunately, many of the stories in that report we also heard here from our witnesses across Canada. Thank you so much for making sure this testimony was brought here.

In the report, you mentioned that homes need to be adapted, and you talked about that quite a lot today. CMHC used to have a program called the residential rehabilitation assistance program, the RRAP. Unfortunately, a lot of that has been downloaded to the provinces and municipalities. Do you think the federal government should invest in such a program again?

[Dr. Donald Shiner]

I advocate a home rehabilitation tax credit program, just like the energy renovation program. It's revenue neutral for the Canadian government, by giving back the HST rebate on renovations that allow people to live longer in their homes safely. It would encourage people to do things.

I might also point out that the current American tax reform negotiations include a $30,000 deduction proposed in the United States for exactly that activity.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

When you talk about that, I hear what you're saying, but what about people with really low incomes who are struggling and are trying to adapt their homes? What kinds of programs do you think would support that?

[Dr. Donald Shiner]

Every province has some form of low-income subsidy program.

The challenge is that the cut-off levels of low income and the demand are not synchronized. In other words, there's way more demand than there is supply of money to help seniors on a low income make home adaptions.

Anything that would enhance the ability to adapt the home would certainly allow people to age in place longer.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

One of the other recommendations that I believe really merits some consideration is increasing the amount of money allocated to seniors through programs such as OAS and GIS, programs for people with disabilities, and programs for aboriginal or indigenous seniors. Can you tell us a bit about why this is fundamental in addressing seniors issues?

[Dr. Donald Shiner]

I'm not sure I'm the best person to answer that question.

My focus is on the home and encouraging programs that allow people to age in place while they're healthy.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Also, it's making sure people are really telling the truth.

When I bought my home, there was a ramp to the front door. They said it was a wheelchair-accessible home. There were stairs in the home, and you couldn't get into one of the bathrooms.

That's also an important part, making sure that when people say it, there are standards people can measure in the real estate part.

Anyway, that's my time. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you very much.

Thank you to everybody here today. This is the last session for this study. I can say the witnesses who we've had and the contributions that we've had are absolutely amazing. I will remind you, if you do want to provide a written submission—I know this goes by really quickly and I'm sure there's more that you want to add—I believe tomorrow at midnight is the deadline for written submissions. If you wish to get something in, please do so.

We're going to do things a bit out of order here, so please bear with me.

We'd like to welcome Mr. Fulton, the recipient of the 2017 Centennial Flame Award.

[Voices]

Hear, hear!

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Mr. Fulton's research will focus on the contributions of David Lepofsky, a respected crown counsel, professor of law and disability rights advocate. The award is granted each year by the committee to a Canadian with a disability to enable him or her to conduct research and prepare a report on the contributions of one or more persons with disabilities to the public life of Canada or the activities of Parliament.

We will be doing a photo. We'll be providing a press release with that photo, and it will be posted on the committee's website shortly.

Welcome. I understand you had a little bit of difficulty getting here today, sir, so I'm very pleased that you were able to make it. I'm wondering if you have any desire to address the committee at this time.

[Benjamin Kane Fulton, Recipient, 2017 Centennial Flame Research Award, As an Individual]

Hi. My name is Ben Fulton. I'm a third-year law student at Osgoode Hall Law School. While there, I was fortunate enough to encounter an individual by the name of David Lepofsky. Some of you may have heard of him before my proposal. He's a blind lawyer himself. He graduated from Osgoode in 1979, and has done a lot of work with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. He's currently an advocate with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, the AODA Alliance.

He personally sued the TTC, Toronto Transit Commission, because they wouldn't install an auditory signal in the buses or the subway that would tell people where the stops are. He started with soft advocacy, just writing letters and asking them to make the changes. He had to escalate his efforts and take legal action. As a result, it's a very precedential case because not only did he win, but it encouraged other transit commissions to make those changes more pre-emptively, which is actually more cost-effective than fighting it in court.

I've conducted a few interviews with him and I have a lot of his published work on advocacy. I'll be reviewing a lot of that and delving into more of the other organization that he's been involved with during his many years as a lawyer. He no longer practises law. He is an adjunct professor at the Osgoode Hall Law School. He's a charming individual. He's really great.

I'm very honoured to be accepted to receive this award and to be able to conduct this research. Thank you to the members of the committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

You're more than welcome.

[Voices]

Hear, hear!

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

We had a very large number this year, probably the largest we've had in a very long time, of applications for this, so you're among very good company in terms of the applications that we received.

We're very pleased to see you here. We have a photographer coming at about 5:30, and we'll be getting a photo at that time with you just out in the hallway.

We do have some committee business that we need to attend to, so I'm going to suspend briefly, and we'll see you out in the hallway in due time. Before we do that, does anybody have any questions for Mr. Fulton at this time?

Obviously, we'll be awaiting the study.

Alice Wong.

[Alice Wong, Conservative, Richmond Centre, BC]

I really want to applaud you for all your great efforts.

Members may know that my husband has lost his total sight. Before he lost his sight, we were both volunteers for the CNIB. He completed his master's degree in spite of his challenges. I'm very proud of the fact that you are a lawyer or are going to be a lawyer, fighting for the rights of those who are visually challenged, especially in a cultural setting in which some people would not like to declare this openly. There is a lot of stigma, especially in many cultural communities. I'm very proud of the fact that you've gone so far.

I want to acknowledge my husband's own contributions in supporting me here. I just want to acknowledge that openly.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

We will suspend briefly. I would ask those who can't be here to please leave. Thank you very much.

[Proceedings continue in camera]