Government actions to support caregiving

The Act to recognize and support caregivers, the National policy for caregivers (in French only) and the Government action plan for caregivers 2021‑2026 (in French only) show the gouvernement du Québec’s desire to recognize the importance of caregivers’ commitment to people with disabilities. They aim to offer them services that meet their needs and maintain their health and well-being.

In Québec, under the Act to recognize and support caregivers, adopted in October 2020, the government commits to a number of obligations toward caregivers.

The partners committee (in French only) consists of 11 to 17 members appointed by the Minister. It was established in accordance with sections 18 and following of the Act to Recognize and Support Caregivers (in French only) in order to make any necessary recommendations to the Minister, among other responsibilities.

The National policy for caregivers — Recognize and support caregivers while respecting their wishes and their capacity for commitment (in French only), adopted in April 2021, aims to improve the quality of life, health and well‑being of caregivers. Seven guiding principles are set out in the Policy, namely:

• Recognize that every caregiver is a person in their own right, who must be treated with dignity and care, and whose well‑being must be promoted.
• Recognize the considerable contribution of caregivers to Québec society and the importance of supporting them.
• Promote the preservation of the health and well‑being of caregivers, particularly in terms of financial insecurity, as well as the maintenance of their life balance.
• Consider the diversity of the realities of caregivers and their relationships with care receivers in their efforts to meet the specific needs of care receivers, at all stages of their support trajectory, from their self‑recognition to their grieving process, both for the care receiver and for their role with the care receiver.
• Acknowledge the experience and knowledge of caregivers as well as those of the care receiver, and consider them part of a partnership‑based approach.
• Respect the wishes and capacities of caregivers as to the nature and extent of their commitment.
• Strengthen partnerships between ministries, government organizations and non‑governmental organizations at the national, regional and local levels, while including the participation of caregivers to foster responses tailored to their specific needs.

The first Government action plan for caregivers (2021‑2026) — Improve support through recognition (in French only) was adopted in October 2021. It presents 61 concrete actions that mainly focus on the recognition of caregivers, the development of training or awareness and the addition of psychosocial support and respite services.

Under the Act to recognize and support caregivers, the government commits to make public annual activity reports on the progress of the Government action plan for caregivers 2021‑2026 (in French only):

• 2021-2023 activity report (in French only)
• 2023-2024 activity report (in French only)
• 2024-2025 activity report (in French only)

This framework (in French only) outlines the support services to be provided to caregivers. It aims to provide all stakeholders with the tools needed to support caregivers through a partnership-based approach, while establishing organizational conditions that allow them to be recognized, involve them as partners and support them in their role.

The action plan for caregiver (in French only) presents 50 concrete actions that aim to offer direct services to caregivers in order to meet their needs in an appropriate, relevant and timely manner, in addition to promoting the reconciliation of work, study and caregiving.