Thursday, March 6, 2014
Ottawa, ON
Check Against Delivery
Good morning, everyone.
It is a pleasure to be here in Elizabeth Bruyère's Garden Room.
I would like to thank Dr. Kathryn Downer for welcoming us here today. I would also like to thank Dr. Srini Chary and Dr. José Pereira of the Pallium Foundation of Canada for joining us, along with members of the National LEAP Advisory Committee (Learning Essential Approaches to Palliative and End-of-Life Care).
The end of life is a difficult subject for most people to think about. Survey after survey tells us that a majority of Canadians would prefer to spend the final phase of their lives at home, and yet more than half of them still pass away in hospital.
Caring for people during the final phase of their lives involves a host of physical, psychological and spiritual needs, but it is especially critical also to ease the strain on families so that they can make the most of the time they have left with their loved ones.
A recent poll shows that most Canadians know about palliative care and the need to plan for end-of-life care, but many people don't know where to find the resources they will need.
We expect the number of senior citizens to double in the next 25 years, and that means there is going to be increased interest in this type of care.
Our Government understands the very difficult challenges faced by Canadian families when they are caring for aging loved ones who need palliative care.
We recognize there is a growing need among Canadians for quality end-of-life care for those with life-threatening conditions and we are committed to helping to ensure that Canadians receive the compassionate care they need.
In 2011, the Government of Canada committed funding that would allow the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and its partners to develop a framework for palliative care across the country.
The Framework, known as, The Way Forward: Moving Towards Community-Integrated Hospice Palliative Care in Canada, has developed new models for delivering palliative care outside hospital walls.
In 2013, Economic Action Plan, our Government set aside funds for the Pallium Foundation of Canada.
Today, it gives me great pleasure to announce with Pallium, that $3 million over three years that will support training in palliative care for front-line healthcare providers, through a project called, Building the Future of Palliative Care Together.
This federal support will complement the 2011 initiative by equipping more front-line healthcare providers with the knowledge and support they need to deliver quality palliative care, in a range of settings, so that patients can receive the ongoing care they need and deserve at the end of life.
Pallium will do this by providing new and accessible educational resources, developing new collaborative working arrangements and communication networks, and training facilitators in order to enhance palliative care capacity throughout Canada, as part of a sustainable healthcare system.
Through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), our Government has also invested more than $43 million in palliative care research since 2006.
This research is improving the understanding of the experience patients, families and care providers and supporting the delivery of high quality palliative care services across Canada.
We will continue to work with the provinces, territories, as well as groups like the Pallium Foundation of Canada to facilitate palliative care for Canadians.
We all deserve to live out our lives in a place that provides us with the care we need and the compassion we want.
Supporting training in palliative care for front-line healthcare providers will help make that a reality for more Canadians.
Thank you
