• That the federal government lead an aggressive public relations campaign to portray healthy aging and to present the benefits of staying active at all ages – in volunteer work, continuous learning and physical activity.

• That the Canadian Institutes of Health Research fund research on mental competency, mental capability and mental capacity. The research should be driven by the information needs of policy-makers and licensing bodies to lead to the development of guidelines based on research evidence.

• That the federal government take a leadership role in federal-provincial-territorial initiatives to address public safety and retirement from driving in a way that is dignified, and that provinces and territories take a leadership role in education and enforcement around the medically-at-risk driver in partnership with other agencies.

• That the provisions of the Canadian Human Rights Act concerning mandatory retirement be amended to bring federal legislation in line with other human rights legislation in Canada.

• That the federal government increase support for research into abuse and neglect issues; work closely with community organizations to avoid the duplication of efforts and to meet identified needs; and make information about abuse and neglect available in federal government staff training.

• That the government reduce the immigration sponsorship period from ten years to three years similar to the regulations pertaining to conjugal sponsorship, and make a commensurate reduction in the residency requirement for entitlement to a monthly pension under the Old Age Security Act.

• That the federal government adequately support research on the social network needs of seniors, and that it support organizations which provide social activities for seniors, especially those which provide culturally relevant events and activities for seniors born outside of Canada.

• That the issue of lifelong learning for seniors be put on the agenda of the next meeting of the Council of Ministers of Education and the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors.

• That the federal government work with the voluntary sector to identify mechanisms to recognize and reimburse the out-of-pocket expenses incurred by volunteers, particularly in activities funded through federal grants and contributions.

•  That the needs of the voluntary sector be the subject of further study, either by a Senate Committee or by an Expert Panel, in order to examine:
  • The emerging challenges of recruiting and retaining volunteers;
  • Options to promote volunteerism; and
  • The role of the federal government in supporting the capacity of the voluntary sector throughout the country, including the use of multi-year funding arrangements and the implications of introducing a tax credit for volunteering.

• That the federal government develop a federal initiative which would provide financial support to the provinces to facilitate the move toward integrated models of care for the elderly as a model for quality care for all ages.

The objectives of the program should be designed to ensure:

• Integration of a broad domain of services, including, but not limited to, health care, case management, home and community services, and residential care services;
• Improved access to comprehensive care;
• Increased emphasis on health promotion, disease prevention and chronic disease management;
• Expanded multi-disciplinary teams so the most appropriate care is provided by the most appropriate provider;
• Increased emphasis on one-stop-shopping for seniors and their families; and
• Improved portability of services between provinces, including reciprocal agreements to eliminate waiting periods for services.

• That the federal government create a supplementary transfer program to assist provinces and territories which have an older population in meeting the increased health care needs of their seniors.

• That the federal government establish a specific time-limited fund to enable provincial, territorial and federal governmental drug benefit plans to develop a common list of drugs used by seniors; That this list form the basis of a common national formulary to be implemented by all jurisdictions as a benefit list for all Canadian seniors; and That this initial focus on seniors form the basis for a national pharmacare program.

• That the federal government work collaboratively with the provinces and territories, policy-makers, stakeholders and family caregivers to establish a National Caregiving Strategy. The Strategy should form a part of a larger federal integrated care initiative.

• That the federal government support education and outreach campaigns promoting geriatric and gerontological health care professions as career choices, including the funding of residency positions in geriatrics.

• That the federal government work with the provinces and territories to address the training, recruitment and retention of home care and home support workers as part of the FPT Health Human Resource Strategy.

• That the federal government support and invest in the expanded use of telemedicine and telehomecare through a transition fund for provinces, a home technology fund for home and community care organizations, and by improving technology use in the direct provision of services to its client groups, including ensuring internet connectivity in northern and remote communities, and that Canada’s official language minority communities be consulted in the development of such an initiative.

• That in their next triennial review of the CPP, the Ministers of Finance consider:
  • Increasing the income replacement rate for the CPP (currently 25 percent of allowable income);
  • Increasing the maximum pensionable earnings above the average wage;
  • Investigating actuarial adjustments to the Canada Pension Plan to increase the incentive to delay uptake;
  • Examining mechanisms to allow older workers who begin to collect CPP before age 65, but who are not receiving the maximum benefit, to continue to contribute to the CPP; 
  • Eliminating the requirement in the CPP that individuals between the ages of 60 and 65 who apply for CPP must quit work or earn up to the maximum of CPP in the months prior to the application; and
  • Introducing a drop-out provision for caregivers.

• That the Government of Canada increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement to ensure that economic households are not below the poverty line as defined by the low income cut-off levels. Increases to the GIS should not result in the loss of eligibility for provincial/territorial subsidies or services for seniors.

• That the federal government undertake aggressive campaigns to ensure that all eligible Canadians are receiving all retirement and age-related benefits. This means the government should:       
  • Inform seniors of all possible federal sources of income supports when they apply for any one of them; 
  • Make available to seniors application forms in aboriginal languages and the languages of larger immigrant populations; and
  • Make fully retroactive repayments with interest to eligible recipients who did not apply for OAS/GIS at 65 or CPP at 70, or who were denied benefits due to administrative errors.

• That the federal government look more closely at the question of a Guaranteed Annual Income for all Canadians.

• That the federal government, in consultation with the provincial and territorial ministers responsible for housing, increase the stock of affordable housing for seniors across the country, including supportive housing, by developing a long-term national affordable housing action plan.

• That the federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for housing work to ensure that the standards for barrier-free design are consistently met by builders and enforced by inspectors.

• That, as a home care is a key component of a national integrated care initiative, a Seniors Independence Program, modelled on the Veterans Independence Program administered by Veterans Affairs Canada, form part of the home care/home support component.

• That the federal government fund a national partnership with provinces, territories and community organizations to provide the leadership and vision, standards, best practices, awareness, and support for capacity building necessary to ensure the provision of integrated quality end-of-life care for all Canadians.

• That the federal government apply the gold standard in palliative home care developed by the  Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and the Canadian Home Care Association to veterans, First Nations and Inuit, and federal inmates.

• That Canadian Institutes of Health Research funding for palliative care be renewed beyond 2009.

• That the federal government actively promote both the Age-Friendly Cities Guide and the Age-Friendly Rural and Remote Communities Guide to seniors’ organizations, provincial governments, and municipal governments; and That it provide financial assistance to support the implementation of the Age-Friendly Cities and the Age-Friendly Rural and Remote Communities guidelines.

• That the Employment Insurance Act be amended to:
  • Eliminate the two-week waiting period before receipt of the compassionate care benefit;
  • Increase the compassionate care benefit to 75 (seventy-five) percent of the earnings of workers;
  • Increase the length of the benefit from 6 to 13 weeks; and
  • Provide access to the benefit during times of medical crisis, and not only during the palliative stages of illness.

  Furthermore, the federal government must promote awareness of the compassionate care benefit among all Canadians.

• That the federal government adopt the integrated service approach recommended by the Gerontological Advisory Council to Veterans Affairs Canada and begin by expanding the eligibility for programs at Veterans Affairs Canada to all surviving war service veterans, not just to clients of the department.

• That the federal government address the needs of First Nations and Inuit seniors and their communities, including the need for:
  • More and improved housing;
  • Increased attention to safe drinking water, diet, foot care and other diabetic needs;
  • Measures to ensure wage parity among providers; 
  • Increased home care and hospice palliative care services;
  • More support for informal caregivers;
  • The removal of the funding cap for the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program; and
  • Measures to fully integrate the range of programs currently available to seniors on First Nations reserves and in Inuit communities into a seamless system comparable to that employed by Veterans Affairs Canada.

• That, pursuant to its role under the Official Languages Act, the federal government establish effective interdepartmental collaboration on official language minority seniors that includes participation by seniors in advisory groups and continue to earmark federal funds for the development of new models of service delivery for these official language minority seniors.