July 11, 2025

The Honourable Stephanie McLean, Secretary of State (Seniors)

Dear Ms. McLean:

Congratulations on your appointment as Secretary of State (Seniors). We are very pleased that the federal government has assigned a secretariat to address the concerns of older adults.

Care Watch is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that advocates for high quality, accessible, and affordable home and community services to keep older adults in their homes safely and independently. Recent results of an Ipsos survey tell us that 95% of Canadians believe it’s important to have federal government policies that enable ageing in place. This means access to the services and supports they need as well as stable, long-term funding for the community organizations that provide these services.

The need for home and community services continues to grow, but policies and resources still fall short. Health services belong to the provinces and territories, but the federal government provides leadership. Just as it has led in setting expectations for universal health insurance, child care, and dental care, it can provide leadership for home and community services.

The 2023 Liberal Policy Resolution states that: 1) ageing isn’t a disease, so institutionalization is not the answer; 2) many adults live in long-term care homes because they lack support in their homes, but they can live longer and healthier lives at home; and 3) Canadians should have equal access to supports to age in place wherever they live. We therefore call on the federal government to:

• Participate in drafting the United Nations international convention on the human rights of older persons and then adopt legislation to protect those rights, provide redress for violations, and combat ageism
• Provide adequate home care funding within the federal health transfer to bring Canada into line with the top five Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries
• Insist on the development of national standards for home and community care
• Link transfer payments to compliance with standards and to fair wages for home and community workers
• Support unpaid caregivers by urging that provinces and territories provide refundable tax credits
• Establish a national strategy for older adults to bring initiatives under a coherent and principled framework

Our position paper provides background and calls on policy makers to establish service guidelines, give priority to non-profit providers, and develop strategies to attract, maintain, and expand the home care workforce. We urge you to raise these concerns with your colleagues in Cabinet and with the ministries of health and housing.

If you would like additional information, please reach out to either of us at info@carewatchontario.com. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Bluesky and on our website (https://carewatchontario.com).

Thank you for your consideration and your support of older Canadians.

Sincerely,

Fiona Green and John Bagnall, Co-Chairs, Care Watch Board of Directors

cc: The Honourable Marjorie Michel, Federal Minister of Health and Anna Roberts, Shadow Minister for Seniors