ACER-CART’s message to Secretary of State for Seniors Stephanie McLean
September 10, 2025
Stephanie McLean
Secretary of State for Seniors
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Dear Ms. McLean:
L’Association canadienne des enseignantes et enseignants retraités/Canadian Association of Retired Teachers (ACER-CART) is a bilingual organization which was founded in Ottawa in 1991. The organization is comprised of eleven member associations from across Canada with a total membership of 93,533 members.
ACER-CART works in collaboration with other like-minded organizations in advocating for retired teachers and seniors across Canada. I provide the French and English ACER-CART Priorities for 2025-2026.
You will note that one of the key priorities is for the establishment and implementation of a National Seniors Strategy. This would include a Long-Term Care Act with measurable standards and which has been discussed at the federal level since COVID. Another key issue is the promotion of healthy aging by ensuring investments to allow seniors to age in place/stay in their own homes, provide palliative care and community care which are coordinated and have the intended impacts.
ACER-CART urges you to work in collaboration with Minister of Health, Marjorie Michel, in having all provinces and territories sign the bilateral Pharmacare agreements. In spite of the widespread support for Pharmacare we question why only three provinces and one territory have signed on to a program which delivers much needed relief when it comes to reducing drug costs via a national, single-payer public drug plan.
As Federal Member of Parliament for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke we were wondering if you would be prepared to speak at our 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Vancouver on June 9-10, 2026. ACER-CART delegates were very fortunate, and impressed, when the first Minister of Seniors, Honourable Filomena Tassi addressed our AGM in Ottawa in June 2019.
I look forward to your response to our invitation.
Sincerely,
Bill Berryman
President ACER-CART
