Health committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Several organizations in Quebec—including our own—are campaigning for the building of public housing. We would like to have public housing that is better suited to seniors' needs. In other words, seniors would be provided with minimum care. That housing would have to be able to provide support to elderly people on a daily basis.

Health committee  For instance, nurses could be brought closer to communities. We know that every community has a community centre. Why not provide follow-up to seniors through community centres? We know that establishing this trust is important. We know that because, as professionals, we deal with chronic diseases within health care institutions.

Health committee  Yes, I really think that the government should increase the benefits. Taking into account that informal caregivers are predominantly women, our interpretation of the facts leads us to believe that the benefits would be much higher if men were the ones providing that kind of care.

Health committee  We talked about that last year before the parliamentary committee in Quebec. Here is our position. First, we want a public debate. Second, we carefully explained that, at this time, there aren't any real palliative care services designed specifically for seniors. So, before further examining the matter of assisted suicide and other issues, we need to look at whether we can provide real palliative care to seniors right now.

Health committee  It is clear to us that home care is lacking in Quebec. With the population aging, the only way to go is to further increase investments in home care—I'm saying “care”, but I should be saying “home support”. I apologize. It's true that the home support budget must be increased. However, the existing needs in Quebec must also be outlined.

Health committee  Okay. Now I follow what you're saying. We would definitely need something like that in Quebec. That initiative should be expanded; in other words, it should also include prevention and anything else that can be done in the community to support people at home. I am talking about support, with an acceptable quality of life.

Health committee  Thank you for your question. It's a fact that women have been paid less than men throughout their lives, at least so far. They earn 70%—75% at best—of what men earn. Therefore, their income is lower once they retire. At the same time, they live longer, and they are the ones providing informal care.

Health committee  In my humble opinion, the financial difficulties are just an excuse. To my knowledge, administering health care at Ste. Anne's Hospital does not cost any more than it does at Shriners Hospital or the McGill University Health Centre. Health care is structured, and money is set aside to meet the needs.

Health committee  Thank you. I want to begin by saying that we are not involved in the negotiations. Therefore, I will give you my point of view based on the information we have. That information came from government officials. We share the concerns of our colleagues from Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue: specific clients need specific care.

Health committee  I fully understand your concerns, and I share them. As far as I understand, unless the pressures are strong enough, they are asking for a separate board of directors for Ste. Anne's Hospital. I think that would be the best way to guarantee that the organization of health care remains unchanged.

Health committee  Actually, when we ask the elderly people with chronic diseases this question, they all hope to be at home, just like all of us. So we think there is a way to put in place a model in communities, regardless of which model we choose. The idea is to make sure that we are going to be able to address people's needs in terms of home care and all the other services that can be provided in the community.

Health committee  I think that what is generally important is leaving Quebec and its population the flexibility to decide how to deliver health care. I will be more clear when it comes to my concerns. We have seen dedicated budgets in some places. We do not want that to happen in health care, because, when it comes to health care, we have to keep in mind each province's population.

Health committee  I am going to answer your question about medications, and then, my colleague, who has really gone through the entire agreement, can give you an answer. Here is our concern about medications. As soon as people are no longer in hospitals, as soon as they are at home in the community, they have to pay for medication.

Health committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon, honourable members. The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec represents over 60,000 members, including nurses, nursing assistants and respiratory therapists working across Quebec. By virtue of our professions, we are concerned about health and diseases, chronic diseases in this case.

Health committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to say how much I appreciate the opportunity to discuss the issue of chronic illness and the elderly with the committee. It is an important consideration for us. The 60,000 members of our federation work with the elderly in various settings and are very concerned—