The First Ministers' Accord on Health Renewal and the Future of Home Care in Canada

On February 5, 2003, the Prime Minister and Premiers of seven provinces signed an agreement, the First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal, outlining the direction of public healthcare in Canada in the near future. The Accord addressed several key issues in healthcare, namely prescription drug coverage, home care, diagnostic services, timeliness of care and primary healthcare reform. This paper critiques the home-care initiatives outlined by the First Ministers, on the grounds that they do not speak to issues of access to long-term care or to non-professional home care - services that are deemed critical by the elderly who wish to stay at home and who represent an increasing proportion of the country's population. Furthermore, the Accord does not establish legislative protection or separate funding, both of which are necessary to ensure that home care as a whole receives an adequate share of resources and political attention over the medium and long-term.