In The Philanthropist Journal, Christina Palassio writes about the state of the caregiving crisis in Canada, and investigates the federal and provincial policies that are aimed at addressing it. The article features the work of the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence (CCCE) in advocating for policies that make life better for caregivers and bolster the care economy.
The Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence (CCCE) is a member and funder of the Care Economies in Context project.
Citation
Palassio, C. (2026). Addressing the caregiving crisis in Canada. The Philanthropist Journal. https://thephilanthropist.ca/2026/04/addressing-the-caregiving-crisis-in-canada/
Excerpt
With economic, trade, and environmental threats screaming from the headlines every day, it’s easy for care to get lost in the shuffle. But while many look elsewhere, Canadian caregivers are quietly providing 5.7 billion hours of unpaid care every year, with care responsibilities disproportionately falling on women. Working caregivers put in an average of five hours per day on top of their jobs and incur average out-of-pocket expenses of almost $8,000 per year. Seventy-two percent of caregivers report feeling burned out to the point where they question their ability to continue, and an estimated half a million people have dropped out of the workforce completely because they don’t have enough support to balance their care and work responsibilities. The crunch for working and non-working caregivers is getting worse as the cost of living skyrockets.