SSHRC

• Although still in the consultative stage, a national caregiving strategy could transform the Canadian care economy and improve the lives of caregivers.
• Most importantly, a national caregiving strategy will set a standard for services and supports available to Canadian family caregivers, as well as the working environment of paid care workers.

Caregiving in Canada

• There is a gendered element to care, with over half of all women in Canada providing unpaid care.
• Caregiving is typically linked to Canada’s aging population; however, there is growing recognition that caregivers care for people of all ages and are of all ages themselves.
• Many Canadians provide care for the people they love, but caregiving can be physically and emotionally taxing.
• This is not surprising, as researchers have declared unpaid family caregiving as a global public health issue.

Why do we need a strategy? Why now?

• It was first floated in 2009 as per the recommendations of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
• Now, 15 years later, Canada is one of the few high-income countries that do not have a national caregiving strategy.
• In addition to not wanting to lag behind other high-income countries, the challenges facing Canadian caregivers have become more apparent in recent years.

What could it look like?

• Many countries offer extra financial supports to caregivers.
• In addition to tax benefits and credits, some countries, such as Australia and Ireland, provide a caregiver allowance.
• This can help offset out-of-pocket expenses or financial losses associated with time spent away from work.
• Though there is still work to be done to bring a national caregiving strategy to fruition in Canada, the possibility is exciting.

• SASKATOON, SK, May 6, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, Ted Hewitt, president of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), announced the winners of the 2024 Storytellers Challenge.
• SSHRC's annual Storytellers Challenge calls on postsecondary students to demonstrate—in up to three minutes or 300 words—how SSHRC-funded research is making a difference in the lives of Canadians.
• Students submit stories in the format of their choice about Canadian social sciences and humanities research and how it helps improve our society and the world.
• Hewitt made the announcement as part of this year's Science Writers and Communicators of Canada (SWCC) conference.

• OTTAWA, April 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today’s budget delivered investments for researchers across the country, including long-awaited and much-needed increases to graduate and post-doctoral fellowships as well as increases to core research funding.
• “This investment in Canada’s next generation of researchers will help recruit promising scholars and support them as they advance our understanding of the world around us,” said Peter McInnis, president of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT).
• “We have long emphasized the opportunities our country was missing by underfunding basic research, so it is both exciting and reassuring to see the federal government’s focus and investment in this year’s budget,” said McInnis.
• “As part of the Coalition for Canadian Research, our members were strong advocates for these investments that show what we can do when we work together.”
  CAUT is the national voice of more than 72,000 academic and professional staff at more than 125 universities and colleges across the country.

• It will support the acquisition of the state-of-the-art tools and infrastructure needed by researchers to advance their discoveries and innovations.
• The funding is distributed across the country through:
  The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program – awarding $191 million to 230 new and renewed chairholders at 50 institutions.
• "Congratulations to top-tier researchers who will get a boost through this vital funding to take their projects to the next level.
• CFI's John R. Evans Leaders Fund helps institutions attract and retain researchers and provides support for the Canada Research Chairs Program.