Good morning, Mr. Chairman. Pardon me for not being very clear-headed this morning. I got up at 5:00 a.m. to get here. The road between St-Eustache and Ottawa wasn't pretty at all.
Gentlemen, I would like you to tell me about home care. I don't know whether you have conducted a study or whether you've gone to see how that works in Quebec. It seems you omitted Quebec from your presentation.
For the past 12 to 15 years in Quebec, local governments have decided to favour home care. That has been and is a not very successful operation. One fact is noteworthy. I don't know whether it's because of family solidarity, but it works better in rural and isolated communities than in the major centres. The major centres have problems.
In Quebec, the government helps by subsidizing residences housing a number of generations. For example, we could transform my house, either build another one, or build part of a house near mine, and my parents would live there with me. The government would assist me financially in modifying my house, as it provides financial assistance for modifying apartments, by adding ramps, for example, to assist seniors.
Personally, I've noticed—and this also appears to be the case in Quebec—that home care works well when both elderly partners are alive. When one of the two dies, the other goes first to the home of a son, then to the home of a daughter, then to that of another son, then to the home of another daughter. That causes all kinds of problems.
Care must be taken with regard to home care. Of course, your report talks about thousands of dollars saved, but what are the economic consequences for the person who receives this care at home? That isn't a question; it's simply a comment.
Since I find it very hard to speak into thin air, I'll stop my presentation here.