Human Resources committee  Thank you very much, and thank you for the opportunity to address this committee. We're very grateful to be participating in your study on advancing inclusion and quality of life for Canadian seniors. Of course, what should result from all of this is the establishment and creatio

Human Resources committee  First of all, I believe that we should stop talking about the aging population in terms of something we need to prepare for. The shift has already begun. Canadian society is aging, and it has been for some time now. In my career, I worked in HR at the federal government. That wa

Human Resources committee  Of course, but there are recommendations.

Human Resources committee  Some examples exist already, such as housing for veterans. Health Canada has set up all sorts of measures aimed at helping folks with their home improvements. All sorts of benefits are available. One of the challenges we face is that many seniors are not aware of everything that

Human Resources committee  We have heard many recommendations like those. With regard to seniors, not knowing who is in charge can be confusing. Seniors don't know whether to deal with the municipal, provincial or federal government. Sooner or later, these programs will need to be streamlined in order to

Human Resources committee  You don't have a choice.

Human Resources committee  The first step is to get the provinces and the federal government on the same wavelength. There's duplication of work, programs, and costs. You are dealing in the title of your study with the major aspects of a strategy. It all deals with healthy aging. Again, a report was prod

Human Resources committee  Your basic question was whether we should reinstitute the process that existed before. That is, once every year, ministers responsible for seniors across the country—some provinces have a specific minister for seniors; some don't—met and decided on the issues they would be dealin

Human Resources committee  It's something that we hear also. Of course, it was 71, then it went to 69, and now it's back to 71, I think. As people live longer, they probably don't need it at 71, because people say that 71 today is yesterday's 50 or 51. I'm 51. As people live longer, they want to ensure tha

Human Resources committee  No. It's part of the pillars of safety for older Canadians. I don't have the study. I couldn't tell you what amount that should be. There are all sorts of ways of looking at it, but no, I can't answer that.

Human Resources committee  In the larger Canadian context...? Maybe Sayward can answer that one.

Human Resources committee  If I could, many municipalities are already participating in this. It's called the age-friendly city.

Human Resources committee  There are many communities. This was not invented by Health Canada, but certainly recommended and put in place by Health Canada some years ago. Also, we're really leaders in this country for having so many municipalities participating in this. The original concept of age-friendly

Human Resources committee  That would be part of the strategy.

Human Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good evening, honourable members of the committee. My name is Jean-Guy Soulière. As president of the National Association of Federal Retirees, I'm grateful for the opportunity to assist in your study of the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I