Build on federally supported programs that support the needs of seniors and their families to promote healthy aging.

What success looks like

Enhanced support for seniors and their families.

Government's narrative on progress

Canada's senior population is growing. This makes it more important than ever to support the health and well-being of older Canadians. The Government of Canada is working with stakeholders on various initiatives to ensure support for the seniors and their families. Budget 2018 provided one-time funding of $75 million for a three-year project through the Public Health Agency of Canada to support the Healthy Seniors Pilot Project in New Brunswick. The Healthy Seniors Pilot Project will: improve understanding of the impacts of aging, including different challenges faced by women and men; focus on testing innovative solutions that support healthy aging and improve the quality of life of older adults; and, provide useful information for governments and stakeholders across the country on how to better support seniors in their homes, communities and care facilities. On June 25, 2018, the Minister of Health and the Premier of New Brunswick announced the launch of the Pilot Project. New Brunswick opened its call for submissions on August 1, 2018. Budget 2019 further proposes several investments and programs to support a better quality of life for Canada's seniors. It proposes to provide additional funding of $100 million over five years, with $20 million per year ongoing, for the New Horizons for Seniors Program, to improve seniors’ quality of life, and to better promote seniors’ participation and inclusion in their communities. Budget 2019 also proposes several measures to support a secure retirement, including enhancing the GIS earnings exemption to provide increased take-home pay for low-income working seniors and which has also been extended to self-employed seniors. This also includes legislative amendments to proactively enroll Canada Pension Plan contributors age 70 and older to ensure that all Canadian workers receive the full value of the benefits to which they contributed. The Government of Canada is also supporting additional initiatives to foster the healthy aging of seniors, including age-friendly communities, investing in data and research such as the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, and in consultation with partners, raising awareness and developing resources on other issues related to healthy aging (e.g., falls prevention).

Note: this is the government's own description, not an independent assessment.