Policy in Focus, Issue 11

An estimated four million Canadians act as unpaid or informal caregivers to seniors and persons with disabilities. This quarter’s Maytree Policy in Focus (PDF) highlights a report which presents three proposals to protect caregivers from financial ruin:

1. Expand Employment Insurance (EI) compassionate care leave;
2. Extend Canada Pension Plan (CPP) provisions; and
3. Make current tax credits for caregivers refundable.

The report is by Sherri Torjman and Anne Makhoul, and was published by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy.