Support for Long Term Care Facilities in Quebec: Canadian Red Cross Deployment

Date: July 8, 2020
Classification: Unclassified
Fully releasable (ATIP)? Yes
Branch / Agency: EMPB

Issue

The situation in Quebec’s long-term care facilities has stabilized, and while the need for support remains, a Canadian Armed Forces deployment is no longer required to meet that need. In its place, the Government of Canada continues to offer federal support to the province by funding the Canadian Red Cross’s ongoing efforts to rapidly scale up and deploy a new humanitarian workforce.

Proposed Response:

Background:

In response to a Request for Assistance from the province of Quebec, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have been operating Augmented Civilian Care teams comprised of one senior medical authority, personal care workers, and support troops to long-term care facilities in the province since April 20, 2020. These teams were primarily sent to facilities located in the hardest-hit regions of Montréal, Laval and Montérégie.

Although there is great improvement in the long-term care facilities in Quebec, as demonstrated by lower case numbers and the return of many critical workers, the province has indicated that they still need federal support to manage the COVID-19 response.

Working with the province, the CAF, Health Canada and the Canadian Red Cross, Public Safety Canada has developed a framework to guide the federal transition from CAF support in long-term care facilities to federal support delivered by the Red Cross through Public Safety Canada’s existing contribution program to support the Red Cross’s ongoing relief efforts related to COVID-19, floods and wildfires. The Red Cross launched a Canada-wide recruitment campaign for this new workforce, which will provide support to the facilities that are in greater need. This workforce includes the roles of support aide, administrative aid, site manager, and health and safety advisor. By the end of July, the Red Cross aims to recruit and train up to 900 people to assist in facilities across Quebec. Red Cross resources are expected to be in place until September 15, 2020. This deployment may be extended to total up to four months, depending on the needs in Quebec.

This will allow most CAF members to transition back to their regular duties, such as providing medical support to CAF clinics, training and operations, and maintaining readiness for other possible emergency events, such as a second wave of COVID-19 or natural disasters. The federal support will also provide time for the province to recruit and train permanent staff, all while ensuring a consistent standard of care for these vulnerable populations. To address potential resurgences of COVID-19, a reserve force of CAF members will also be on standby, should surge capacity be needed.

The Canadian Red Cross’s deployment to Quebec long-term care facilities will be funded through the up to $100 million in support for the Red Cross that the Prime Minister announced on May 16, 2020. This funding was committed to support additional relief and recovery efforts this year related to COVID-19, floods and wildfires.

Contacts:

Prepared by: Jameel Mostaghim, Policy Advisor, 613-617-9948
Approved by: Patrick Tanguy, SADM, 613-851-1481

Date modified: