Subject Matters

• Consumer Issues
• Financial Institutions
• Health
• Immigration
• Justice and Law Enforcement
• Taxation and Finance
• Tourism
• Transportation

Subject Matter Details

Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution

• Acces to prescription drugs for use during travel. Request the federal government to committo to a national pharmacare program, covering all drugs, not just catastrophic expenses. Through the Canada Health Act, the federal government should set clear national standards protecting ongoing access to prescription medications for Canadians who choose to travel. In addition, it should use its role as a funding partner to ensure provinces and territories not only allow Canadians the freedom to travel, but also ensure that while travelling they have the same access to their prescriptions as they do when they are at home.
• Access to emergency health coverage when travelling. "Canada Health Act"
• Access to voting rights for travellers. Amendments to the Canada Elections Act that would remove the six-day deadline and replace it with a clear communication of the last day by which an application for a special ballot should be received in order to ensure that a special ballot is delivered to the voter in sufficient time to vote and send it back. Allow applications to be submitted by e-mail. Amend legislation to permit acceptance of any mail-in ballot that has been post-marked prior to the close of polls.
• Passport/alternative travel doument issues. For the purposes of longer-term “snowbird travel” (up to 6 months) the association formally recommends that its members travel with a passport being the one internationally accepted travel document that proves an individual’s identity as well as citizenship. That being said, however, the association does have a concern with the other tens-of-thousands of Canadians who wish to travel to the United States for shorter duration holidays – possibly to visit their parents, grandparents, etc. – that are already at their secondary winter residence, as well as the millions of Canadians who live within close proximity to the Canada/U.S. border. Many of these Canadians wish to visit the United States, sometimes with very little advance planning, to attend family functions, worship services, sporting events, or even casual shopping. While the Canadian Passport Office has now streamlined the speed with which it can process a passport application, there is a financial burden, especially for a typical family of four, to obtain a full passport for only short term random travel to the U.S. Accordingly, the association urges the federal government to consider extending the lifespan of a Canadian passport to 10 years. An adult Canadian passport costs $87 and lasts five years. In the United States, a first-time passport costs $97 and lasts 10 years. A passport renewal costs Americans $67. There is no such discount in Canada. Alternatively the association urges the federal government to develop an alternative secure travel document – similar to the existing NEXUS or SENTRI program into its border protocol. The introduction of an alternative secure travel document must be cost-effective and available in a timely fashion for the average traveller.
• Preservation of health coverage for frequent travellers. "Canada Health Act" Enforce the Canada Health Act to ensure the portability of Canadians' health care is fully and adequately protected. This includes enforcing section 11(1)(b)(ii) of the Act with funding transfers based on provincial compliance to ensure provinces are covering emergency services required by travellers as the same rate as is paid for those services at home. The Act should also be amended to include protection of medicare membership for Canadians who maintain a permanent residence in a province or territory but spend a significant portion of their year travelling.

Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution, Regulation

• Enforce the Canada Health Act to ensure the portability of Canadians' health care is fully and adequately protected. This includes enforcing section 11(1)(b)(ii) of the Act with funding transfers based on provincial compliance to ensure provinces are covering emergency services required by travellers as the same rate as is paid for those services at home. The Act should also be amended to include protection of medicare membership for Canadians who maintain a permanent residence in a province or territory but spend a significant portion of their year travelling.

Communication Techniques

• Written communication
• Oral communication
• Grass-roots communication

Government Institutions

• Canada Border Service Agency
• Canadian Pension Commission (CPC)
• Finance Canada (FIN)
• Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAITC)
• Foreign Affairs Canada
• Health Canada (HC)
• Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC)
• Industry Canada
• Members of the House of Commons
• National Senior's Council
• Prime Minister's Office (PMO)
• Public Works and Government Services Canada
• Senate of Canada
• Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB)
• Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)

Address:
180 Lesmill Road
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Canada

Telephone number: 416-441-7062