Thank you, Madam Chair.
Members of the House, my name is Gisèle Tassé-Goodman and I am the president of the FADOQ Network. I am accompanied by Danis Prud'homme, executive director of our organization.
I would first like to thank the members of the committee for this invitation.
The FADOQ network is a group of people aged 50 and over with over 550,000 members. The goal of all of our political representations is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of seniors. Sadly, we must once again speak out about the scourge of elder abuse.
In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, ageist-tinged actions and words have multiplied. In fact, our organization sent correspondence to the Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission, as the rights and freedoms of seniors had been severely curtailed with the lockdown, and age-related invective was rife.
One thing that stands out particularly is the public statement by Patrick Levy, owner of Montreal's Olympia, that people 65 and older should not be admitted to indoor shows and events in order to promote the rapid recovery of this industry. This type of statement is unacceptable, inconceivable and, of course, intolerable.
Although age discrimination is prohibited by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, too few reports are made about it. Many people are unaware that they are experiencing ageism or lack the courage to take action on it. It is important that the federal government conduct a national communication campaign to talk about this form of discrimination as well as the remedies available to victims.
Age discrimination is common among experienced workers. Invective is rife, and work organization is poorly adapted to the needs of these workers, who bear the brunt of a deficit in continuing education. Statistics show that the unemployment rate increases with age, which indicates particular difficulties for these workers. Our organization hopes that governments will support experienced workers more actively in order to encourage them to remain in the labour market. The measures put in place must address continuing education, guidance services and reintegration for the benefit of these workers.
Abuse of any kind must be condemned and punished. Since abuse is frequently the act of someone close to an older person, it is important to ensure that victims are made aware of this issue. With government funding, workshops could be offered by organizations so that seniors can recognize unacceptable situations. This awareness work must be done primarily in seniors' living environments and places frequented by seniors. It is also possible to approach this topic from a best practices perspective. Our organization puts a lot of emphasis on proper treatment. It is a concept that focuses on the well-being and safety of the individual.
Finally, the FADOQ network wishes to address the issue of organizational abuse. This concept refers to any harmful situation that is created or tolerated by the procedures of organizations responsible for providing care or services, and that compromises the exercise of the rights and freedoms of individuals. For a number of years, the Quebec health care system has been under constant stress. The lack of human resources, successive reforms and the lack of investment in the system mean that patients do not have access to quality care and services.
Nevertheless, provincial and territorial health care funding consumes 40% of their budgets, while the Canadian government funds only 22% of these expenditures. It is important that the federal government provide greater support to the provinces and territories, which are struggling to cope with the burden of rising health care costs. Medical advances and an aging population will increase health care spending for the provinces and territories. In order to make up for this underfunding, Réseau FADOQ is asking the federal government to index the Canada Health Transfer by 6% annually. It would also be appropriate to include a variable that takes into account the aging of the population of the provinces and territories in the calculation of the amounts allocated to them.
I would like to thank the members of the committee for listening to us. My colleague Danis Prud'homme will answer questions. I may choose to answer them as well.