The Need for a National Seniors’ Strategy
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau:
ACER-CART is the national voice of the retired Education Community. We are a bilingual association, representing over 167,000 members located in all regions of Canada. Through our work, we have identified several key issues that affect seniors in every corner of our nation, and we have concluded that there is a great need for the creation and implementation of a National Seniors’ Strategy—a strategy that can deliver the support that is essential for Canada’s aging
population.
This National Seniors’ Strategy should:
- value aging and recognize the productive participation of seniors in their communities.
- support a health care system that prioritizes care in seniors’ own homes or as close to their own homes as is possible.
- develop, fund, and monitor regulations that govern Long-Term Care homes.
- implement a national, single-payer, universal Pharmacare plan that will include the distribution of the vaccinations necessary to prevent illnesses to seniors without cost to them.
ACER-CART understands that all levels of government bear different responsibilities in delivering health services to our citizens. We are calling on the federal government to show leadership and work collaboratively with other levels of government to address these concerns.
The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified some glaring shortcomings in our health system that resulted in unnecessary suffering and the death of far too many seniors. A strong National Seniors’ Strategy will unite Canada in support of our aging population.
ACER-CART offers its support to provide input in the creation of a National Seniors’ Strategy.
Yours truly,
Gerry Tiede, ACER-CART President
