Ontario election and seniors: Where the parties stand
Have you decided who to vote for in tomorrow's Ontario election? Do you know if your preferred candidate or party really represents you and the interests of Ontario's seniors? Do you have a preferred party? If you're not sure who to vote for, there's still time to make an informed choice.
Comfort Life asked the four party leaders to answer the following questions affecting Ontario's seniors.
QUESTIONS:
- How do you plan to promote positive aging in Ontario and how will you make Ontario a more age-friendly province?
- What specific things will you do to make health care more accessible and affordable to seniors?
- What will you do to increase seniors’ economic well-being including: employment access, adequate pensions, increased affordability of prescription drugs and care, and affordable housing?
- How will you create supportive infrastructure for seniors in Ontario? Will you establish a cabinet committee on aging and provide financial incentives so that service hubs for seniors can be developed where required?
Here's a sampling of what each party leader told us:
Green leader, Mike Schreiner
"The Green Party will promote a continuum of care, so that home care services, supported housing, assisted housing, transitional and respite care, and long term care are available when and where they are needed. This not only provides better service for seniors, their families, and their caregivers, but it also is less expensive than hospital care and leads to efficiencies for the whole health care system." Read: The Ontario Green Party's stand on senior issues
Liberal leader, Dalton McGuinty
"We will develop an Active Aging Strategy to ensure that the province is prepared to deal with the demographic shift that will see our senior’s population grow by 43 per cent over the next decade. This Strategy will integrate government policy across different ministries. We recognize that creating an age-friendly province will require integrated planning around health care, transportation, housing, infrastructure, and other areas of government policy." Read: The Ontario Liberal Party's stand on senior issues.
NDP leader, Andrea Horwath
"Removing the HST from home heating, hydro and gas will make life more affordable, as will our program of rebates, grants and loans for energy efficient home retrofits that will further reduce utility bills. Our plan will ensure that Ontario’s seniors have access to the services and affordable daily essentials necessary to maintain their quality of life." Read: The Ontario NDP Party's stand on senior issues.
PC leader, Tim Hudak
"For the amount of tax dollars Ontario’s seniors put into the system, they should receive the highest quality health care services in the country, but sadly, that’s not the case. Care in Ontario today is too focused on forms, processes, long lines, and bureaucracy, when it should be built from the patient out. An Ontario PC government will make the patient – not bureaucracies, not administrators – the focus of our health care system." Read: The Ontario PC Party's stand on senior issues.
The Ontario election and senior issues: consider each party's platform carefully:
Read the answers of all four party leaders and consider them carefully before you vote. Check their websites (Green, Liberal, NDP and PC) for more information. And, if candidates are in your area today ask them these questions directly. Check here for more information on the Ontario voting process.
Speak Up
Our politicians must be accountable to seniors. Speak up to them and make them speak up for you in return!
Make an informed decision and vote in the Ontario election tomorrow, Thursday, October 6th.
