Waterloo MPP appeals for seniors bill to be brought forward
Posted Jul 18, 2023 12:47:23 PM.
Last Updated Jul 18, 2023 01:20:38 PM.
A long-time advocate for a certain piece of provincial legislation is asking once again for the bill to be brought forward to the Standing Committee on Social Policy for discussion and testimony.
The Till Death Do Us Part Act, or Bill 21, aims to accommodate senior couples who have been forced apart by the long-term care system. The bill passed second reading unanimously eight months ago, and Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife is calling on the Ford Government and Minister of Long-Term Care Paul Calandra.
She told The Mike Farwell Show on July 18 that failure to call the bill forward in committee is “pure ageism.”
“It would be a failure of leadership on the people who pay taxes, who built this province, and who definitely deserve better quality of life in their last years.”
Fife met with seniors recently who have experienced spousal separation, as well as their children. She shared the comments of a man who has to visit his parents in separate homes.
“He said Canada is one of the best countries in the world, and this is not how a country of Canada’s stature should be treating its citizens. It’s cruel, it’s unfair and it’s unjust.”
Fife also referenced studies she has observed from a PhD researcher at Queen’s University.
“She has found that there is depression, that there is a physical reaction to not being with your life partner.”
The Ontario NDP state that Fife has been committed to Bill 21 since 2019 and will continue to advocate for it until the legislation passes into law. Fife is running a petition that directs Calandra to “find a compassionate solution to provide seniors with the right to live together as they age.”
You can find the link here.
