Canadian Cancer Society Applauds New $40 Million Federal Government Caregiver Tax Credit

An Important First Step To Relieve Financial Burden on Families of Gravely Ill Patients

TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2012 /CNW/ - The Canadian Cancer Society and other Canadian organizations came together today to applaud the federal government for its new Family Caregiver Tax Credit. The tax credit, which came into effect on January 1, allows family caregivers taking care of an ill family member to claim an enhanced amount for a dependant under one of the existing dependency-related tax credits.

The new tax credit could translate into as much as $300 per family for 2012.

The Canadian Cancer Society has been advocating on behalf of caregivers for more than 10 years and in fact launched a campaign during the last federal election to remind all politicians of this issue. "The Harper government has taken an important first step towards supporting family caregivers, the invisible backbone of Canada's healthcare system," says Dan Demers, Director, Public Issues, Canadian Cancer Society. "Family caregivers give so much to support their loved ones and it's unacceptable that they also have to deal with financial difficulties at such a difficult time".

Better support for family caregivers is an urgent issue because the country's population is aging, and increasingly Canadians will be caring for loved ones who have cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. A 2007 survey showed that 23% of Canadians had cared for a family member or close friend with a serious health problem in the previous year.

"This is very welcome news for families with an ill family member," says Lori Synes-Taraba, who cared for her infant son Brock at home while he went through cancer treatments (Brock is now 14 and doing well). "It's a very stressful and emotional time for families that is made even worse if money is running out."

Nadine Henningsen, President, Canadian Caregiver Coalition, says: "We are pleased to see the federal government maintaining its commitment to family caregivers by mitigating their financial burden through this program. The intensity and length of care-giving can be significant, with 60 per cent of caregivers providing care for more than three years.  Additionally, 41 per cent of Canadians use personal savings to support themselves when caring for loved ones and 22 per cent of these individuals miss one or more months of work."

Other organizations supporting the new tax credit include the Canadian Caregiver Coalition, the ALS Society of Canada, the Alzheimer Society of Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society.

For more information about the Canadian Cancer Society's commitment to caregivers and information on the caregiver tax credit, visit cancer.ca.

The Canadian Cancer Society fights cancer by doing everything we can to prevent cancer, save lives and support people living with cancer. Join the fight! Go to fightback.ca to find out how you can help. When you want to know more about cancer, visit our website at cancer.ca  or call our toll-free bilingual Cancer Information Service at 1-888 939-3333.

The Canadian Caregiver Coalition is a diverse group of 40 national and provincial organizations from across Canada that works collaboratively to represent and promote the needs and interests of family caregivers with all levels of government, and the community. The vision of the Canadian Caregiver Coalition is a Canada that recognizes and respects the integral role of family caregivers in society and supports this role with the understanding that it is not a substitute for public responsibility in health and social care. ccc-ccan.ca

B-roll/VNR featuring interviews with caregivers is available from: 

ftp://ftp.cancer.ca/Care_Giver/CCSWeb-Final.mov
To download the file, right click on the link and select "Save Target As"

Image with caption: "Peter Goodhand, Canadian Cancer Society President and CEO (left), Jim Flaherty, Federal Finance Minister (right) (CNW Group/Canadian Cancer Society (National Office))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120223_C6733_PHOTO_EN_10369.jpg

For further information:

For more information or to arrange interviews with spokespeople and caregivers, contact:

Daniel Paquette
Daniel Paquette Public Relations
416 413-7714
Cell at event: 416 559-2694
[email protected]

Alexa Giorgi
Canadian Cancer Society
[email protected]
416 934-5338