Status of Women committee  Yes, we completely agree with that, especially when we consider the needs of our workforce, which again is predominantly female. Their needs often extend outside of the home itself, as they continue to provide care to children, to aging parents and to other vulnerable individuals

Status of Women committee  Thank you, and I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on women and, of course, the long-term care homes right across the country. My name is Jodi Hall, and I'm here today as the chair of the Canadian Association for Long Term Car

Health committee  Yes, our understanding is that under the existing infrastructure funds through the housing strategy, we are not eligible for applications.

Health committee  There seemed to be a lack of understanding and perhaps confusion. Some have felt that we were eligible for that, but, in fact, we've determined that we are not, so that was a critical area for us to understand. It is often cited as well that there is provincial jurisdiction, so

Health committee  As has been noted, there definitely are those individuals across the country who will largely benefit from this. There are questions around the scope of the benefit. Is it sufficient? Does it reach enough seniors who actually have needs? There are questions around those who are

Health committee  Just to restate, the physical infrastructure, when we're talking about something as infectious as COVID-19, is critically important. The ability to put the recommendations in place from the Public Health Agency of Canada is critical going forward. I think there are many tangible

Health committee  Yes, we certainly took note when she said that. Previously, when the housing dollars were made available federally, there was some sense that perhaps nursing homes or long-term care homes could tap into that line of funding, but that was not the case. We were encouraged when we h

Health committee  That's correct, yes.

Health committee  That's correct. Our point was that there was a disconnect between some of the recommendations that were being made when you compared that to the reality on the ground and what could actually be operationalized.

Health committee  It is critical that we have access to an appropriate workforce. It does give me pause to think about any particular mandate being given to a group who may not necessarily have a desire or an aptitude. Caring for frail elderly is work that requires someone with great compassion an

Health committee  Yes, those are absolutely factors. As I had outlined earlier in terms of the overall condition of the infrastructure in homes, especially older facilities, they were designed for a different generation, a different type of individual who required care. When we look to who we are

Health committee  I think that everyone became extremely aware of the situation in early March. In individual care homes and certainly with colleagues of mine across the country, the discussions were very active and robust as we worked to see what was happening internationally and were starting to

Health committee  Thank you. I'd like to thank the members of the committee for inviting me to present here this evening.... Can you hear me okay?

Health committee  Yes. I think I'm experiencing that as well. I'm sorry.

Health committee  Thank you for the opportunity to speak to the committee this evening. The Canadian Association for Long Term Care is the leading voice for quality care in Canada. Our members deliver publicly funded health care services to seniors right across the country. I will start by ackno