96.14PU Policy Update-Women as Family Caregivers
A. Recognition of Unpaid Work
1. That the National Council of Women of Canada request an occupational listing for unpaid caregiver/home manager/homemaker in the NOC/SOC Dictionaries.
2. That the National Council of Women of Canada call upon Statistics Canada in the next census to:
– Include questions on unpaid volunteer work
– Include the care of the disabled in the census question
– Expand the number of hours of eldercare that can be reported in the census question
– Continue to collect statistics on all unpaid work
– Develop and provide information on time use surveys
B. Financial Security for the Caregiver
1. That a study be made of the impact of programs in other countries which provide basic income support to at-home parents and other caregivers, (including parental leave, family benefits, guaranteed income plans, special programs for single parents and remuneration for care giving);
2. That there be equitable tax treatment for one earner families;
3. That Canada maintains a pension plan based on individual and not family income. This pension plan should have a specific component recognizing the work done by parents in raising children, particularly women who withdrew from the labour market to do so.
C. Community Supports for the Family Caregiver
1. That funding be reallocated to support the shift from institutionally to community based care;
2. That there be coordinating of existing community based services to allow single entry by the client to the long term care system. This must include the coordination of existing formal volunteer service providers;
3. That advertising and dissemination of services be readily available at a wide variety of public venues. This information must pertain to all family care including care of the elderly, the disabled, children and palliative care;
4. That there be no off-loading of services which are a societal responsibility to the volunteer sector;
5. That innovative partnerships be developed between volunteer care providers. Community supports need to recognize the changing context of family care giving:
– Changing family structures;
– Geographic mobility;
– Increased expectations of caregivers;
– Increased participation of women in the paid labour force.
D. Balancing Work and Family
1. That all levels of government establish a position and a protocol that will ensure that all public policy decisions and programs are evaluated and adjusted to be supportive of family well being;
2. That there be support for public, corporate, community and individual education to encourage attitudinal change which recognized the reality of balancing work and family in the 90’s such as flex time, paid family leave days; solutions for school and day care hours conflicts; extended maternity leave;
3. That employment programs acknowledge and respond to the transitional needs of families when individuals, especially parents are re-entering the work force;
4. That new approaches be developed for economic planning and development, resulting in sustained human and social ecological development as well as economic growth; the real productivity (in paid and unpaid labour) to be included in measures of growth/wealth in addition to GDP;
5. That the government be reminded to recognize the existing UN protocols supporting family wellbeing and agreed to be Canada at Conferences in Nairobi, Copenhagen, Cairo, Beijing and the World Summit on Children in New York;
6. That the three levels of government as well as the corporate sector (including small business), and the NGO sector develop family friendly police initiatives;
7. That the following legislation and resulting policies be designed/implemented at the appropriate government level in support of family well being: – Minimum of six days of universal (i.e. public and private) family care leave; – Extension of parental leave; – Flex time;
8. That the costs of paid employment and the costs of unpaid work be recognized in tax policy so that no family is disadvantaged by the care giving choices made.