Mr. Speaker, the question has arisen as to when Canadians can expect the federal government to come forward with a financial commitment for home care.
Home care is already an integral part of our health care system. It is not an add-on or a new idea. It is an essential component of the care that many Canadians receive on a regular basis. What is new is how home and community care can be used within the system in this era of modern technology and the potential of home care to meet needs created in the system by the extensive restructuring and reform seen in most jurisdictions.
The time has come to examine home care programs in all jurisdictions and, as members might expect, that task will not be a simple one. While we are committed to taking steps toward the future, delegates at the recent national conference on home care have made it clear that the task is large and complex. Delegates urge all levels of government to work together on the development of a national home care approach.
We recognize the need to develop a national approach to home and community care for Canadians, an approach that will ensure Canadians that wherever they go across the country, they can receive the care they need. Recognizing that there is a need and knowing in detail how to meet that need are two different matters.
To develop a national approach of this calibre, we must work together in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, with care providers across all parts of the health system and with Canadians in all walks of life. We need the results of pilot and evaluation studies that are being sponsored by the health transition fund and other research studies that have been undertaken to inform our discussions.
At this point an immediate new financial commitment in respect of home and community care is not appropriate, but I can say that the government will be there to fulfil its responsibility with a contribution in an appropriate amount when we see the size and the shape of the solution—