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BSOM candidates pressed on state of long-term care homes during CARP debate

Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte candidates asked for their views on uniform national standards and how those could be implemented

The federal election campaign trail looks a lot different as candidates and citizens keep their distance, but debates are now underway to give voters a closer look at those in the running and where they stand on the issues. 

The Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) hosted its debate Wednesday night for the Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte (BSOM) riding and one of the hot topics was the state of long-term care. 

The Barrie chapter's debate allowed candidates to answer questions on five subjects: COVID-19, federal budget, long-term care homes, the environment, and affordability. CARP is a non-profit organization that advocates for Canadians who are 45 and older.

Only two candidates were present for the BSOM debate, including the Liberal Party's Tanya Saari and the NDP's Sarah Lochhead, who answered questions in person. Conservative incumbent Doug Shipley was at a family function and unable to attend; he sent along answers to the various questions. People’s Party candidate Chris Webb was not present and no explanation was provided by organizers.

On the topic of long-term care homes, candidates were asked about the Canadian Association for Long Term Care (CALTC) recommendations from February 2021 for resident-centred, principle-based national standards for the sector. Each candidate was asked about their party's perspective on uniform national standards, and how the candidate would work with the provinces to implement those recommendations, including penalties.

Lochhead spoke about the need to move away from companies monetizing long-term care.

“(The NDP) will end private for-profit, long-term care and bring long-term care under the umbrella of the public," she said. "We’ll work collaboratively with patients, caregivers and provincial and territorial governments to develop these national home-care standards for home care and long-term care and regulate it with the same principles as the Canadian Health Act."

By doing this, Lochhead said the NDP would “legally protect” services and bring consistency.

“The (NDP) is also committed to ensuring the LGBTQI2S+ seniors feel safe to be themselves in care and in residences and making sure they have care without discrimination as well,” Lochhead added.

Saari said the state of long-term care needs work. She said the Liberal Party will create more training for personal support workers (PSWs) and give them a starting wage of $25 an hour.

“My nephew works in a long-term care home in Barrie as a PSW and, through conversations I’ve had with him, it has brought to light situations that are happening,” Saari said. “He is responsible for prepping 10 residents with Alzheimer's in a very short period of time to get down to a dining hall. Something he struggles to do so in the time frame he is allotted.”

Saari said more training and higher wages for PSWs would help ease the burden felt by health-care workers.

“Our party is focused on developing a Safe Long-term Care Act to guarantee a high standard of care for seniors across the country,” she said. “We will introduce a new expert panel to establish an aging at-home benefit through the Canada Caregiver Recovery Benefit.”

Shipley’s answer was read by debate moderator Ron Stevens. 

“The impact that COVID-19 has had on seniors living at long-term care homes across this country has been tragic and our own community is still hurting from the devastation of the outbreak last winter at Roberta Place,” Shipley wrote in his response. "The pandemic has shone a bright light on the failures of our long-term care system and I believe that all levels of government must work together to make the necessary improvements.”

Shipley’s statement also said the solution includes a variety of housing options for seniors. “We will provide guidance to make necessary improvements to care without intruding on provincial jurisdiction. At the same time, we will be working to make improvements that will help seniors who want to stay in their own homes longer," he said in his provided answer. 

The federal election is Monday, Sept. 20.

To watch the full CARP debate for Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte, click here.

For more local coverage on the federal election, visit our CanadaVotes page