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On April 16th 2024, Canada’s Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland introduced the 2024 Budget for the federal government entitled Fairness for Every Generation. While CNPEA applauds the intent of the federal Budget 2024, the commitment to “generational fairness” fell short by putting most of the focus on younger generations, particularly when it comes to housing and employment, and largely omitting older Canadians.
CNPEA was pleased to see some of the announcements, particularly regarding health care and caregiving, such as:
- the commitment to develop a National Caregiving Strategy,
- steps towards helping provinces offer provide home-care options for older people
- the promotion of new rural health care workers (which should benefit the largely older, rural population)
- promises to advance the Safe Long Term Care Act to support new national, long-term care standards
We recognize that more seniors will have access to dental services through the Canadian Dental Care Plan, and Health Canada will receive 1.5 billion over 5 years to initiate the National Pharmacare program.This said, older people in Canada are more than care recipients. The federal government’s commitment to establishing a Safe Long Term Care Act, while important and commendable, does not address the everyday needs of the majority of older people who live independently. They deserve to see their rights to housing, employment, and safety and security addressed specifically, and funded thoroughly.
Noticeably absent from the 2024 Budget are announcements regarding elder abuse prevention and awareness, gender-based violence in later life, or any other form of violence and discrimination against older people. And while several new Criminal Code offences specific to auto thefts were proposed, there is still no sign of the long-promised Criminal Code changes relative to elder abuse which have been on the mandate letter of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General for several years now. While we applaud the Federal Budget’s repeated nods to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion, we are worried that these efforts do not specifically recognize older people as an equity-deserving group.
This Federal Government failed to acknowledge the needs of Canada's growing aging population and to address them in this new budget. 1 in 5 people in Canada are currently 65 and over and their number is expected to rise to 10.4 million by 2037, with the 75 and over demographic growing at a faster pace. In recent elections, voters aged 65 to 74 had the highest turnout at the polls, something which the Federal government should take more seriously.
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BY MEGAN CREIG
Aura Freedom International recently unveiled a new project titled “GBV in the media.” The project, funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada, builds on the organization's previous work which aims to eradicate sex trafficking and all violence against women.
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We feel great sadness to announce the passing of Dr. Elizabeth Podnieks on February 2, 2024. We mourn the loss of a true international trailblazer in the field of elder abuse prevention. Among many other accomplishments, Dr. Podnieks founded Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario, as well as our very own organization, CNPEA, and she was a co-founder of the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) . She was also the visionary and architect behind World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, an official United Nations Day since 2006.
Elizabeth was tireless in her research and advocacy efforts. She was a passionate champion of the rights of older people. Elizabeth inspired and mentored countless academics, not-for-profit leaders, and everyday frontline heroes who are dedicated to ending elder abuse.
Elizabeth was a powerhouse who created the changes she wanted to see in the world, with style and humour. We owe so much to her vision and we will make sure that it lives on in the future. We will honour her memory through our work by promoting the well-being, safety, and inclusion of older people across the world.
We extend our most heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Dr. Elizabeth Podnieks.
Elizabeth PODNIEKS Obituary (2024) - Toronto, ON - The Globe and Mail: https://legcy.co/3wqk2wm
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Over the course of 15 months, Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario, CNPEA and the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children developed five videos.These short animated videos provide key advice and resources to help anyone recognize, respond and refer when faced with an elder abuse situation. You can watch them all on YouTube and share them easily. These videos are also available in French.
WATCH:
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Following national consultations that included a public online survey and roundtables with CNPEA and other elder abuse prevention stakeholders, the Government of Canada has recently announced a new federal policy definition of mistreatment of older persons.
A policy definition "has a different purpose" from a legal definition. Its aim is to help share a common understanding of the issue and "serve as a vehicle for culture change and public awareness" and to help inform federal policies and programs. This new policy definition is a first step for the government to take leadership in better understanding and addressing the issue of mistreatment. We hope that it will support future government efforts in increasing public awareness and in actively preventing mistreatment of older persons through policy reform and support for programs and organizations that address this pressing issue.
The new definition
"Mistreatment of older persons is a single or repeated event that involves a person, a group, a community, or an organization and occurs within a relationship where there is an expectation of trust, when an act, word, attitude, or lack of appropriate action causes or risks causing negative consequences for an older person.It includes events of physical, psychological, financial or material, and sexual mistreatment that can be expressed in the form of violence (act word or attitude) or neglect (lack of appropriate action)"
Read the explanatory document and the Consultation on a federal policy definition of senior abuse: What we heard report.
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