NDP’s statement for National Seniors Day

NDP critic for Seniors Rachel Blaney issued the following statement:

“On National Seniors Day, we celebrate the invaluable contributions of seniors to our families, communities, and society. This day is an opportunity to honour seniors’ wisdom, resilience, and life experiences that enrich our lives in countless ways.

Seniors in Canada continue to face challenges—they are among the hardest hit by the housing and the cost-of-living crises. Decades of Liberal and Conservative governments have cut programs and withheld help in order to hand more to corporations and let prices skyrocket. Seniors pay the price for those choices as they struggle to keep up with rising costs of food, medications and rent.

New Democrats fought and delivered concrete measures to help seniors who feel squeezed—many of whom live on fixed incomes. These measures include dental care and pharmacare so that seniors don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars out of the pocket for the care and medication they need.

There is still more to do.

New Democrats continue to push this government to make big grocer CEOs lower food prices, stop corporate landlords from taking away homes you can afford to turn them into unaffordable luxury condos and to raise the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) so everyone can retire and live in dignity. And we continue to push for supports for seniors in remote, rural and urban areas who are often forced to relocate when services are not made available in their communities.

The threat of Conservatives’ cuts to health care, dental care, and seniors’ pensions—like they did when they were last in power—is something New Democrats take seriously and will not allow to happen again. Seniors spent their lives working hard and we will not back down from a fight to ensure they are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

As we recognize their achievements and the challenges seniors face, let us commit to fostering an inclusive environment that respects and supports elders. Together, we can ensure that seniors continue to thrive, share their stories, age in place, and inspire future generations.

On behalf of New Democrats, thank you to all seniors for building and shaping our communities, families and country.”