Our seniors in Northern Manitoba deserve the best care we can get them and financial security in their retirement years. But after 13 years of Liberal neglect, the Conservative government is offering up more of the same—more neglect and more insecurity after a lifetime of building this country.
It’s been 40 years since the last full review of income security for Canada’s seniors. And in many regions, a quarter of acute-care hospital beds are filled by seniors waiting for more dignified options—because Ottawa still has no long-term care plan in place.
The NDP are moving seniors’ priorities forward in this Parliament:
- Passed a motion through Parliament directing government to work toward providing free drug and dental coverage for every Canadian over 65.
- Secured Parliament’s approval for the NDP Seniors Charter enshrining seniors’ rights to secure income, adequate housing and quality health care.
- Secured Parliament’s approval for the NDP Veterans First Motion ensuring that military veterans and their families are taken care of after service.
Canada’s NDP is working to get more done for seniors:
- Better long-term care: Work with provinces to create 50,000 long-term care spaces over five years, providing dignity and comfort to seniors who languish now in costly hospital beds.
- Better home care: Work with provinces to expand coverage of professional home care as another alternative to hospitalization. And expand CPP/EI coverage to support those caring for senior family members at home.
- Retirement security: Protect hard-earned pensions by ending employer underfunding of pension plans, securing pensions when employers go bankrupt, launching pension insurance and other measures.
After building this country, seniors deserve security and respect. As Canada’s effective opposition, that’s what New Democrats are fighting for.
