Panel: Caring More, Losing Ground or Caring Up, Caring Down—And Burning Out

Millions of Canadians step into caregiving roles when the people they love begin to age or face serious health challenges. For many, this responsibility arrives not at a quiet stage of life, but in the midst of their most demanding years. In 2026, caregiving continues to fall disproportionately on women—particularly those in the sandwich generation, who are caring for young children while also supporting aging parents or relatives.These women are often maintaining full-time careers in dual-income households, yet remain the first call when a child is sick, the primary coordinators of household life, and the default caregivers when an elderly parent’s needs increase. The result is a relentless, overlapping set of responsibilities with little margin for rest.This reality carries consequences for families, for employers and for society at large. Many women see their health suffer, their workplace productivity decline, or are forced to scale back—or leave—their careers altogether. A recent McKinsey report on the Women’s Health Gap identifies informal caregiving as a significant factor shaping health outcomes and productivity, underscoring the scale and urgency of the issue.These realities raise critical questions for 2026 and beyond: What responsibility do our health systems, employers, and governments have to better support caregivers? What tools, policies, and services are needed to make caregiving more sustainable—for individuals, families, and the economy as a whole?On April 17th, 2026, The Empire Club of Canada explored these questions in an empowering and timely examination of the sandwich generation, featuring  The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Board Director, Baycrest Seniors Care;  Amy Coupal, Chief Executive Officer at the Ontario Caregiver Organization; Ann Hui, Generations Reporter, Globe and Mail, and moderated by Teri Hart, Journalist and Host, “The Hart of It All”. To kickoff the event, we were excited to hear from  Liza Vityuk, Partner, McKinsey & Company about the latest research from the McKinsey Health Institute – which highlights that unpaid caregivers in the workforce are growing significantly. Liza outlined the impact to business and women in the workforce. This event also featured closing remarks from Liv Mendelsohn, Executive Director of The Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence.Through personal stories, evidence-based insights, and practical solutions, this event offered meaningful guidance for both organizations and individuals—and affirm a powerful truth: individual women should not have to carry this burden alone.