The article I read on CBC News is part of a segment called “Trudeau Tracker”, which examines the performance of the new Liberal government and how it is following through with promises made during the election. The segment focused on health care. In their platform, the Liberals pledged an immediate commitment of an additional $3 billion into home care (which is supportive care provided in-home by licensed healthcare professionals or caregivers) over four years in order to improve and increase the services our country offers.
Despite the obvious need, the March budget did not allocate any money to home care. This means that in order to keep their promise, the Liberals will have to spend $3 billion over the next three years in home care alone (one billion each year). To put this in perspective, the recent budget only allows for $290 million to be spent over two years to other various health initiatives relating to things like nutrition, cancer and food safety. The amount the government promised to put into home care facilities is about ten times this.
Home care is actually a lower cost solution to long-term care services, and if it were widely accessible, this would open up a lot of space in hospitals and other facilities for patients in acute situations. This clearly affects the GDP and relates to expansionary fiscal policy, which is not something our previous prime minister supported. The Liberals committed to this policy, and the $3 billion into home care would be a great example of increased government spending and where the money could potentially be going. Yet, they failed to follow through with their commitment in the first year, which is problematic due to the amount of money they would have to spend in the following years to live up to their promise.
Higher government spending should raise the GDP and be a positive impact on our economy, despite the amount of debt our country is in. This is the goal of expansionary fiscal policy. More money in this section for increased services will automatically create more jobs, which in turn should raise the GDP and improve the economy by lower unemployment rates and higher consumption.
On a personal note, my family is affected because my grandmother is someone in need of home care assistance. She requires daily nurse visits, as well as support from mental health care officials. The addition of money into home care services could be beneficial for her.
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