As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

A Pan-Canadian Framework for the Prevention of Violence in Health Care Settings

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada work with the provinces and territories and health care stakeholders to develop a pan-Canadian framework to prevent violence in health care settings, which would include promoting the adoption of best practices in violence prevention across the country.

Public Awareness

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada develop a national public awareness campaign that would raise awareness about the violence faced by health care workers and highlight the valuable role health care professionals play in providing care to Canadians.

Criminal Code

Recommendation 3

That the Government of Canada amend the Criminal Code to require a court to consider the fact that the victim of an assault is a health care sector worker to be an aggravating circumstance for the purposes of sentencing.

Research and Surveillance

Recommendation 4

That the Government of Canada provide funding to the Canadian Institute for Health Information to develop standard definitions and terminology in relation to workplace violence in health care settings and collect national standardized statistics in this area.

Recommendation 5

That the Government of Canada provide research funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to evaluate the implementation of best practices in workplace violence prevention in health care settings.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada provide funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to support research identifying ways to prevent gender-based violence in health care settings.

Recommendation 7

That the Government of Canada establish the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety as a hub for information sharing on best practices in violence prevention in health care settings.

Meeting the Needs of Health Care Professionals

Recommendation 8

That the Government of Canada work with the provinces and territories to address staffing shortages in health care settings by updating the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resources Strategy to reflect the health care needs of seniors, the well-being of health care providers and the shift towards community-based care.

Health Care Infrastructure

Recommendation 9

That the Government of Canada expand its Invest in Canada Plan to provide targeted funding to upgrade existing long-term care facilities and other health care infrastructure to better meet the needs of patients through public-private partnerships.