Submission to The Department of Finance Canada’s Pre-Budget

Rationale As identified by the Framework on Palliative Care, given the inter-jurisdictional, cross-sectoral nature of palliative care in Canada, a single focal point and knowledge centre at the federal level is needed to better help connect stakeholders and facilitate implementation of the Framework and Action Plan. [...] The Framework on Palliative Care recommends the creation of the Office of Palliative Care (OPC) to provide high level coordination of activities and serve as the central body overseeing palliative care for the federal government. [...] 4 Create a Palliative Care Collaborative to inform the implementation of the Framework and Action Plan on Palliative Care Recommendation Earmark new annual funding to create a Palliative Care Collaborative, comprised of federal, provincial and territorial government representatives, key health stakeholders, and patient groups, to implement the Framework and Action Plan on Palliative Care in Canada. [...] As part of the federal government’s Framework and Action Plan on Palliative Care, QELCCC recommends that a Palliative Care Collaborative be established to advise and assist the federal government in implementing the Framework and Action Plan. [...] Funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s (CIHR), the largest funding source, dropped from $3.2 million per year in 2005 to $1.9 million in 2015.4 In 2003, recognizing that palliative and end-of-life care were receiving limited attention in the research and health care communities, CIHR launched the Palliative and End-of-Life Care Initiative with an investment of $16.5 million o.