BC FORUM News - From Seniors Vote April 2, 2015 Federal Budget - What Seniors Want: nation-wide collaboration of retiree groups call for CPP increase, OAS at age 65, anti-poverty, pharmacare, home care and caregiver support, affordable housing –pre-conditions to the Seniors’ Vote: Open Letter, Poll Toronto, ON: Seniors Vote/Le Vote Des Aînés is a collaboration of seniors groups calling for action on issues of particular concern to older Canadians – retirement security and healthcare reform and has released an open letter to the Finance Ministers ahead of the upcoming federal budget. [Joint letter attached in both French and English] Seniors Vote/Le Vote des Aînés is endorsed by a nation-wide group of national and regional seniors and retirees, advocacy and professional associations including the National Pensioners Federation, CARP, Réseau FADOQ, Congress of Union Retirees of Canada, International Federation on Aging, College of Family Physicians of Canada, retired teachers, university and college professors, public servants, police and health care workers.[Read the full list below.] Seniors Vote/Le Vote des Aînés will be looking for action in the upcoming Federal Budget to address the issues that individual groups in Seniors Vote/Le Vote des Aînés have already made in pre-budget submissions. The joint letter compiles the issues common to those submissions. This year’s federal election will be another opportunity for candidates to ask: “What do seniors want?”. Seniors Vote/Le Vote des Aînés offers some answers – seniors are the most avid voters, this is what seniors will vote for and this is how you get the seniors’ vote. According to a recent CARP Poll™, every one of the recommendations has the almost unanimous support (90%) of the nearly 2,000 respondents, most of whom will not benefit from them, since any changes will happen well into the future. Seniors Vote/Le Vote des Aînés calls on the federal government to: • Work with provinces to increase the CPP • Strengthen income support by • Restoring the OAS eligibility age to 65 from 67 • Increase the exempt earnings band for GIS • Increasing the amount of OAS and GIS for low income seniors • Increase income supports for low-income single older Canadians not yet eligible for OAS by creating an equivalent to the OAS spousal allowance • Prohibit retroactive erosion of earned pension benefits • Work with the provinces to create a national pharmacare plan, with an ultimate goal of first dollar coverage for all Canadians • Work with the provinces to fund and set national home care standards to improve access, affordability, and quality of post-acute and chronic care, in the home and in the community, with particular focus on dementia care • Increase financial support and provide workplace protection for caregivers • Work with the provinces to ensure every Canadian has access to housing appropriate to need, including affordable and supportive housing, and assisted living services • Address growing income inequality which affects Canadians of all ages For Seniors Vote/Le Vote des Aînés: Pat Kerwin 613-236-1326 President, CURC
Susan Eng 416-607-2475 Vice President, Advocacy CARP
Herb John 519-350-3221 President, National Pensioners Federation Danis Prud’homme 514-252-3017 Executive Director, Réseau FADOQ To all Ministers of Finance and Opposition Finance Critics Seniors Vote is a collaboration of seniors, retirees, professional and advocacy groups raising common concerns which particularly resonate with older Canadians – financial security in retirement and healthcare reform. The attached details the recommendations for the upcoming federal budget and our priority issues for the 2015 federal election. It is now common knowledge that older Canadians are the most committed voters; 65% or more of older voters turnout to vote regularly. Older Canadians are also among the most politically engaged voters whose past party loyalty cannot be taken for granted. This has led all political parties to ask: “What do seniors want?” And the answer has been the call for the kind of transformative change in our public systems that will make life better for all Canadians as they age. Many such reforms will only benefit future generations. Seniors Vote calls for pension reform to ensure that people will not outlive their money by expanding access to pension savings and increasing income support. The call for healthcare reform demands that Canadians not be treated as health consumers or merely patients, but rather as “healthcare citizens” who pay for the system and expect it to serve the broad values set out in the Canada Health Act – universality, accessibility and comprehensiveness. To do this, the healthcare system must undergo transformative change and centre itself around the needs and expectations of the healthcare citizen, to not only provide medical intervention but also support prevention and social determinants of health, the family caregiver and end of life care. Seniors want to stay in their own homes but too often programs like homecare are not there for them to do so. There is a need for a national housing strategy that includes seniors housing. Access to affordable and suitable housing is a major determinant of health, an instrument to reduce poverty and a critical component of age-friendly communities. Income inequality is growing in Canada. More seniors are falling below the poverty line. Seniors are also concerned that too many of their children and grandchildren are facing precarious work and a bleak future. It is clear that Seniors indeed vote. This sets out what Seniors will vote for. Today’s ballot questions are the blueprint for our children’s tomorrow.
1. Income and Retirement Security Achieving income security in working life and retirement is increasingly difficult for Canadians of all ages. • Nearly 5 million Canadians live in poverty • 12 percent of seniors still live in poverty, amounting to more 600,000 people • 1 in 6 single seniors live in poverty, most of whom are women • Twelve million working Canadians do not have workplace pension plans and significant numbers of Canadians will face a substantial drop in their standard of living on retirement • Younger working Canadians will have especially limited access to workplace pensions Seniors Vote calls on the federal government to: • Work with provinces to increase the CPP • Strengthen income support by • Restoring the OAS eligibility age to 65 from 67 • Increase the exempt earnings band for GIS • Increasing the amount of OAS and GIS for low income seniors • Increase income supports for low-income single older Canadians not yet eligible for OAS by creating an equivalent to the OAS spousal allowance • Prohibit retroactive erosion of earned pension benefits 2. Federal Leadership on Healthcare Transformation Healthcare remains the highest priority for Canadians who are calling for transformative change. • Older Canadians and their families find the system inadequate to the task of meeting their post-acute and chronic care needs, very difficult to navigate, and incomplete • Over 8 million caregivers provide invaluable support to family members and the formal health system, without adequate support from employers and government • Poverty, social isolation, a poor physical environment, and inadequate housing leads to poor health outcomes. Investments in prevention and in the social determinants of health could save the system money and produce better health outcomes for Canadians • Transforming the healthcare system to better work for all Canadians requires federal leadership Seniors Vote calls on the federal government to: • Work with the provinces to create a national pharmacare plan, with an ultimate goal of first dollar coverage for all Canadians • Work with the provinces to fund and set standards to improve access, affordability, and quality of post-acute and chronic care, in the home and in the community, with particular focus on dementia care • Increase financial support and provide workplace protection for caregivers • Work with the provinces to ensure every Canadian has access to housing appropriate to need, including affordable and supportive housing, and assisted living service Seniors Vote is endorsed by: National Pensioners Federation (NPF) - National advocacy organization of seniors groups and individuals CARP - National advocacy organization for older Canadians Réseau FADOQ - Quebec Seniors advocacy organization Congress of Union Retirees of Canada (CURC) - Union retirees across Canada International Federation on Aging (IFA) - International advocacy NGO College of Family Physicians of Canada - Family physicians across Canada CURAC - National college and university retiree organizations National Association of Federal Retirees - Retired public servants, veterans and RCMP Canadian Association of Retired Teachers (ACER-CART) - Retired teachers from 10 provinces and Yukon territory Canadian Alliance of United Seniors (CAUS) - Seniors organization Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of British Columbia (COSCO) - Advocacy group for 75+ BC seniors’ organizations Professional Institute of the Public Sector of Canada - Government scientists and professionals Service Employees International Union Retirees (SEIU) - Retired Healthcare workers Communications Workers of Canada Retirees Council - Communications industry retirees Unifor Retirees - Retired workers from a cross section of industries across Canada Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR) - Retired Steelworkers and spouses Police Pensioners Association of Ontario (PPAO) - Retired police and civilians Ontario Federation of Union Retirees (OFUR) - Ontario retirees Retired Members Division of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) - Retired Ontario public employees PEI Federation of Union Retirees - PEI retirees Saskatchewan Seniors Association Incorporated (SSAI) - Saskatchewan Seniors Saskatchewan Union Retirees Federation - Saskatchewan retirees BC Federation of Retired Union Members - BC retirees Alberta Federation of Union Retirees - Alberta retirees Nova Scotia Government Retired Employees Association (NSGREA) - Retired Nova Scotia public servants Nova Scotia Federation of Union Retirees - Nova Scotia retirees Federation of Senior Citizens and Pensioners of Nova Scotia (FSCPNS) - Nova Scotia seniors New Brunswick Federation of Union Retirees - New Brunswick retirees Manitoba Federation of Union Retirees - Manitoba retirees British Columbia Teachers Union Retirees - Retired BC school teachers The Retired Teachers of Ontario (RTO/ERO) - College, university, school faculty and support staff Social Services Network (SSN) - Social services agency serving South Asian community in York region CUPE Ontario-Retirees-Network - Retired Ontario public employees Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic - Legal Aid Clinic Toronto and York Region Labour Council - Toronto and York Region unionized workers and families Colour of Poverty/Colour of Change Network (COPC) - Ontario anti-poverty, anti-racism network Toronto Retirees Network - Toronto based retirees Congress of Union Retirees of Canada (CURC) Toronto and York Region Council (T&YR Council) - Toronto and York Region retirees Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) ARM Chp 9, 11,12 - Retired High school teachers and support staff in Toronto, Windsor and London National Union Action on Retiree Concerns\National Union of Provincial Government Employees (NUPGE) - National association of provincial employees Plus a growing number of regional and local groups | 
