Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with the House an excerpt from a letter I received from a mother who is also an informal caregiver:
I am physically and mentally tired.
My 35-year-old son lives with me full time.
I prepare meals, do the laundry, do the dishes and so on.
He still gets excited at bedtime, which is at 9 p.m. He turns the lights off and on, goes up and down the stairs, and so on.
My stress level rises, and I seek refuge in the basement.
I stay there until things calm down. At 11:15 p.m., I come up from the basement...
I am unhappy, I have no energy.
I apologize for unburdening myself to you, but I need to get it off my chest.
I need help.
In Quebec alone, 965,700 women, including my mother, provide unpaid support to a loved one with a physical or mental disability, illness, injury or loss of autonomy.
This invisible work places a huge mental, physical, emotional and financial burden on women.
This invisible work must be made visible.