On Parliament Hill

As the Member of Parliament for Provencher, I see first-hand how our seniors continue to help build our country and shape our society. They bring a wealth of knowledge ready to be passed down to the next generation and are often key leaders and volunteers in their communities.

In Ottawa recently, Canadian seniors groups have made it very clear to parliamentarians that they would like to see the government develop a comprehensive National Seniors Strategy to deal with the ever growing challenges that seniors face. Issues such as establishing a national strategy for Alzheimer’s disease, ensuring palliative care is available to Canadians that need it, and ensuring that quality homecare and affordable housing are available – to name just a few.

Everyone has someone in their life that is either approaching retirement or is currently retired, so the issues that are important to Canada’s seniors are important to all of us.

However, in the first year of his mandate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ignored the growing needs of seniors.

Right now, seniors are Canada’s fastest growing demographic with one in six Canadians over 65 years of age. Within thirteen years, that number will be one in four.  Without a strategy, the government does not have a sustainable plan to address both the challenges and opportunities that stem from this unique shift in our country’s population.

Developing this strategy starts with appointing a Minister for Seniors.

The current Prime Minister has the portfolio of Minister for Youth as has appointed a Minister for Families, so this begs the question; shouldn’t Canada’s fastest growing demographic have their own voice in government as well?

I think they should.

Our Conservative Party, led by Mark Warawa, the Official Opposition Critic for Seniors, will continue to work hard on the many important issues affecting Canadian seniors.