Member Question
This question comes from Paul (80) in Ontario:
What must I do to have my MPP reply to my proposal that Home Care for needy seniors is being considered and acted upon? Is there a Plan? Proposal? Any promise of this and the savings to our health care system. Most hope to age in place.
Our answer:
Hi Paul,
Thank you for your questions. We at CanAge applaud your advocacy efforts for seniors’ rights. It is because of dedicated Canadians like you, that we see positive change occur!
We agree that home care is an essential service for older adults. In our roadmap to create an age inclusive Canada, called VOICES, we have developed multiple recommendations around care at home, including increased quality and quantity of home care services across the country. To learn more about our advocacy work, please visit www.canage.ca/voices.
In the most recent Ontario Budget, we were disappointed that no more funding was allocated towards care at home. However, we were pleased that in the recently released Federal budget, $90 million dollars will be used over the next three years, to help seniors Age Well at Home. As we collectively continue to advocate for home care, we are optimistic that funding will continue to be allocated for this important issue.
Reaching out to your local government representative can take some time. Here are some tips that might be helpful in your advocacy.
- Try using multiple forms of communication. You can email, write letters, and/or call government officials. The contact information can usually be found online. Based on the information you provided, it looks like your MPP is Jim Wilson. His contact information can be found here.
- Consider reaching out to multiple levels of government. Care at home is an issue for all Canadians. Try reaching out to government representatives at the local, provincial and federal levels such as your Mayor, city councillor, MPP and MP.
- Reach out to government leaders with an interest in seniors’ issues. This may include other MPs or MPPs as well as the Seniors’ Critics in each party.
| Federal Seniors Critics | Ontario Seniors Critics |
| NDP – Scott Duvall Green Party – Valerie Powell Conservative Party – Rosemarie Falk | Liberal Party – John Fraser NDP – Sara Singh |
Best of luck with your advocacy efforts and know that CanAge is advocating for more and better care at home right alongside you.
Thank you again,
Sarah
Policy Officer