Speech for the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health to Announce Funding to Develop new Community-Integrated Palliative Care Models

Hospice at May Court
June 12, 2012
Ottawa, Ontario

Check Against Delivery

Good morning everyone,

It's a pleasure to be here, at the Hospice at May Court, on this beautiful spring day.

I'd like to thank David Hogberg, Executive Director of the Hospice at May Court, for hosting today's gathering and my colleague, Alice Wong, the Minister of State for Seniors for joining me here today.

The topic of today's announcement can often be a difficult one for people to think about.  Palliative care is about caring for someone in their final days, and obviously the very thought of a family member needing this type of care can spark strong emotions for anyone.

It's important that healthcare professionals think about how to care for people near the end of their lives, so families don't need to be burdened with this at what is obviously a very difficult time.

Proper palliative care means easing the strain on families providing care to a loved one, so they can make the most of their time together.

The majority of Canadians polled say they would prefer to spend their final days at home, but 60 per cent of them still pass away in hospital.

This fact is prompting health partners to look at new ways to deliver palliative care.

The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and its partners are working to develop a framework for new approaches to deliver palliative care models.

Their goal is to deliver palliative care in a broader range of settings.  And that will make it easier for health care providers to honour the end-of-life wishes of Canadians.

This approach delivers better care for patients, while allowing fewer people to occupy hospital beds, and allowing healthcare dollars to go even further.  It's a common sense approach that benefits everyone.

I'm pleased to announce that our Government will invest $3 million-dollars to help the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association develop new models for taking care of people near the end of their lives, outside of the walls of a hospital.

Health Canada will work with provincial and territorial health partners and palliative care experts to advance care research, improve clinical practice, and promote education and public awareness, to help Canadians have these discussions - as difficult as they may be - with their healthcare providers.

We all deserve to live out our lives in a place that can provide us with the care we need and the warmth we want.  

Finding new ways to deliver palliative care will make that a reality for more Canadians. 

Thank you.