Thank you very much for that question, Ms. Falk.
The report we put out last fall really spoke about that shifting perspective, where 60% of Canadians said they were reconsidering whether they or a loved one would want to live in a retirement or long-term care home in the future. We followed up that report with another survey in partnership with the CMA. It basically showed that virtually 90% or more of Canadians, and especially close to 100% as they age, now will do everything possible to avoid going into a long-term care home.
Over this pandemic, I think those views have been solidified more than ever. I think the challenge is that now most Canadians are well aware of the shortcomings. They are really looking for change in the sector before they begin to trust it again.
These perspectives are real, and we have to understand them, but I think they can also galvanize an opportunity to not only improve the way we provide long-term care but also think about the value proposition of being able to provide more supports and services to help older Canadians age in the place of their choice, which is often their home. As I mentioned in my opening statement, close to 90% of our publicly funded long-term care dollars are spent on institutionalizing people, whereas if you look at Denmark, for example, they're actually spending two-thirds of their publicly funded long-term care dollars to support people in their own homes. It can often be done cheaper and without worrying about massive infrastructure costs. It can be done in a much more flexible way that can meet people where they're at and when they need it most.
I think there's an opportunity here to re-examine how we provide that care and what the federal government's role can be in something that for now has also always been purely a provincial and territorial jurisdiction. Our federal government currently, in the recent health report, is spending $6 billion to increase the provision of home and community care, and now $3 billion in new dollars on top of $1 billion recently, to try to improve the provision of long-term care across Canada as well.