News release March 19, 2025
Gatineau, Quebec Employment and Social Development Canada
The care economy, which encompasses both unpaid and paid care, provides crucial care and support to all generations, including parents, grandparents, children, and many adults who live with disabilities or long-term conditions.
Recognizing the importance of paid and unpaid care work and the need to ensure the well-being of every generation, today, Minister of Jobs and Families, the Honourable Steven MacKinnon launched a new Sectoral Table on the Care Economy that will provide advice on potential actions to support the care economy.
The Sectoral Table will focus on providing recommendations related to improving the conditions of work for the unpaid and paid care workforce, providing supports for care providers, care receivers, and equity-seeking groups, and identifying supports to address regional disparities within the care economy.
The membership will consist of a diverse range of perspectives and expertise related to the care economy, with the first meeting planned for Spring 2025. The members currently appointed to the Sectoral Table are:
- Mitzie Hunter, Chair
- Pat Armstrong, Member
- Ayla Azad, Member
- Morna Ballantyne, Member
- Peter Dinsdale, Member
- Jodi Hall, Member
- James Janeiro, Member
- Jeff Moat, Member
- Ito Peng, Member
- Caroline Senneville, Member
- Sharleen Stewart, Member
- Siobhán Vipond, Member
The Sectoral Table on the Care Economy builds on the Government of Canada’s historic investments to strengthen social infrastructure. These investments have included transformative improvements in early learning and child care, improved tax support for caregivers through the Canada caregiver credit, and improved access to long-term care and other continuing care services through the Aging with Dignity agreements signed with each province and territory.
The Sectoral Table’s work aligns with that of the National Seniors Council, which recently acted as an expert panel and provided recommendations to the Government on how to further support Canadians who wish to age at home and in their communities for as long as possible.
Quotes
“Governments make better decisions when we listen to experts in the field. This Sectoral Table will provide our government with first-hand knowledge on how we can better support the care economy, understand the contributions of paid and unpaid Canadian carers, and best support families and future generations to come.”
– The Honourable Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Jobs and Families
“Caregivers and care workers help ensure that Canadians can live in dignity, safety, and comfort. Canada’s Aging with Dignity agreements with the provinces and territories provide important funding that supports the long-term care, home and community care workforce. This Table is another key step towards improving health outcomes for all Canadians.”
– The Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Health
Quick facts
- While the Sectoral Table does not replace collaboration between provincial, territorial, and Indigenous governments, the advice provided to the Minister of Jobs and Families will consider geographic aspects and represent diverse perspectives.
- Through Budget 2024, the Government of Canada announced new measures to further address the challenges faced by the care economy. In addition to the Sectoral Table, they included the federal government’s commitment to launch consultations on the development of a national caregiving strategy.
Associated links
This is on BC Govt website go to the link here
