On the Eve of the Leaders Debate Parties still ignore the concerns of 64% of their voters – Parties Pay Lip Service on International Day of Older Persons but Fall Short on Substantive Promises says CARP

The CARP questionnaire asked the parties to state their position on the election priorities of the 14.5 million Canadians 45plus, namely,

1. a Universal Family Caregiver Benefit – a refundable caregiver tax credit to support the estimated 5 million Canadians caring for loved ones at home
2. a Universal Pension Plan for the 1 in 3 Canadians without retirement savings and substantial increases to the Old Age Security [OAS]. Canada Pension Plan [CPP] and Guaranteed Income Supplements [GIS] for low and fixed income seniors
3. Elimination of Mandatory Retirement for 840,000 Canadians working in federally regulated industries
4. a strategy to Keep Older Workers including training, anti-ageism in the workplace and phased retirement
5. Better Health Care through wait times guarantees, national health standards and pharmacare.

A copy of the questionnaire can be found:here

As of 5:00 pm today, no reply was received from any of the major political parties despite follow up calls.

Canadians 45 and over are the largest and most politically engaged demographic – 70% of them vote regularly and in 2004, they cast 9 million votes, or 64% of all votes cast in that election.

More information on the UN International Day of Older Persons may be found at: www.un.org

UN Principles Click here

CARP is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to advocating for a New Vision of Aging for Canada which means social change that will bring financial security, equitable access to health care and freedom from discrimination; ensuring that the marketplace serves the needs and expectations of our generation and providing value-added benefits, products and services to members; and building a sense of community and shared values among our members in support of CARP’s mission.

For further information, please contact:

Michelle Taylor Communications Coordinator for
Susan Eng Vice President Advocacy
and
Ross Mayot
Vice President Community Development
CARP, A New Vision of Aging for Canada
416.363.7023 x. 236

Dr. Jane Barratt, Secretary General International Federation on Ageing 514.396.3358