Canada House of Commons passes palliative care bill

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Canada House of Commons passes palliative care bill

4 June 2014

Yesterday afternoon, the House of Commons almost unanimously voted in favor of Motion M-456, recognizing that there is a need for national strategies, frameworks and blueprints in hospice palliative and end-of-life care. The motion also recognizes the need to support caregivers, improve the consistency of home care, and encourage Canadians to plan for end of life by starting conversations about advance care planning.

“We are thrilled that all parties supported and voted in favor of this urgent issue,” stated Sharon Baxter, Executive Director, Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. “Our population is aging, and this motion shows us that all parties realize that we immediately need national, provincial, territorial and community action to ensure that all Canadians plan for and receive high quality end-of-life care in the setting of their choice.”

Currently, only 16-30% of Canadians have access to high quality hospice palliative and end-of-life care. The majority of Canadians receive their end of life care though primary care and we can do much better to bring the palliative approach to community settings. Furthermore, a recent Harris Decima survey found that the majority of Canadians (73%) feel that the provincial governments place too little priority on this end-of-life care, including over one-third (35%) who feel that it is far too little. The study also found that support for hospice palliative care amongst Canadians is almost unanimous, with the vast majority of Canadians (96%) being supportive, including 66% who are very supportive.

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