Yes, I do. I think that ultimately long-term care should come under the Canada Health Act.
When the legislation for Canada's long-term care system was put into place, people weren't living as long. When you look at who is in long-term care now, you see so many people in their eighties and nineties. I think the percentage is that 85% suffer from some form of dementia. These are people with really complex needs, and they're medical needs. It's not just about an assisted living kind of context. These are medical needs, and they should fall under the Canada Health Act.
I just want to say that there is a quality to these lives, because sometimes people are scared of old age and of dementia, and they feel there's not a quality to these lives. There is a quality and a beauty to them, and as a society we have a responsibility to support our most vulnerable citizens. We're really failing them.
Yes, that's how I feel we should ultimately address it: by bringing it under the Canada Health Act.