Quebec budget: FADOQ’s priorities for people aged 50 and over
In anticipation of the Quebec government’s upcoming budget—the last before the 2026 provincial election—FADOQ has submitted a series of recommendations aimed at tangibly improving the quality of life of people aged 50 and over.
Home support: funding that meets real needs
To achieve the objectives of the National Home Support Policy, which is expected to be unveiled soon, we recommend at least doubling home support funding, which currently stands at $3 billion per year. A portion of this funding must also be specifically allocated to medical care and professional services delivered at home, including physician services, nursing care, social work services, and physiotherapy.
Taxation: simplifying to better support older adults
Aware of the complexity of the tax system, we propose in our brief submitted to the Ministry of Finance to harmonize tax measures intended for older adults and to simplify income tax returns. We specifically recommend that all tax credits and fiscal amounts be available starting at age 65.
Prevention and physical activity: investing to do more
Through its leisure and physical activity programs, FADOQ already gets more than 70,000 people moving every week. However, with enhanced funding for our mission—particularly through the National Health Prevention Strategy—we believe we could increase this number to 100,000 participants, thereby directly contributing to active aging, social participation, the prevention of chronic diseases, and preservation of autonomy.
Death benefit: an update is needed
Lastly, we reiterate our recommendation to increase the death benefit to $5,000 and to index it annually to inflation. Set at $2,500 and unchanged since 1998, this benefit no longer reflects today’s economic reality or the costs associated with funerals.
Housing: diversifying models to address the crisis
The housing crisis also affects people aged 50 and over. They must be able to choose their living environment based on their needs, rather than by default due to a lack of affordable options. In this context, we recommend developing programs and investing in existing ones that support construction, building acquisition, or project development aimed at diversifying housing models (rental buildings, social housing, cooperatives, intermediate resources, private seniors’ residences, and non-profit seniors’ residences).
All of our recommendations are detailed in our brief (only in French), which is available on our website.
