Ignatieff outlines national home care strategy

October 5, 2010

OTTAWA -- Today Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff detailed his national home care strategy which he calls the "next frontier" of policy after his "number one priority" a national child-care program. Ignatieff argues that the Conservative government is not looking out for the priorities of everyday Canadians. In contrast, Ignatieff is attempting to portray the Liberal party as being in touch with Canadian voters.

"[The] government is spending $1.3-billion on a G8-G20 summit, $16-billion on planes without a competitive bid, triples the publicity budget of the government and is about to give big corporations a $6-billion tax break...When is the government going to pay some attention to the growing needs of Canadian families for home care assistance? When is it going to get its priorities right?”" -- Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff in Question Period

In the October 4 Question Period Ignatieff invoked a story about a woman from Montreal that he met who was caring for her two ailing parents at home with little support from the government. Ignatieff roughly estimated that there were three million women in similar situations in Montreal alone.

Ignatieff gave a preview of his home care strategy to Postmedia News last month which features tax credits for caregivers and more funding for professional caregivers to visit patients living at home.

Senior Liberal officials assure that the home care strategy will be balanced and fiscally responsible however Ignatieff has not offered any answers to how the program would be funded. His proposal to reverse all of the $6-billion in corporate tax cuts - $1.8-million of which is will become law on January 1 - has already been devoted to increase financial support for aboriginal students, invest in skills and language training for immigrants and the aforementioned national child-care program.

Sources: National Post - "Liberal promises adding up", Macleans Magazine - "The Commons: There once was a woman from Montreal"

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Home Care Assistance offers the highest quality 24/7 live-in home care in the Region of Halton (Oakville, Burlington, Halton Hills, and Milton), Region of Peel (Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon) and Hamilton.