Click to watch the FY 2019-2020 Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, held virtually, February 11, 2021 @ Noon Eastern Time.
00:16:32 Jagmeet Singh Presentation
00:37:00 Bill VanGorder, C.A.R.P. Chief Policy Officer, with 2021 Advocacy Priorities
01:09:30 Moria Welsh, Toronto Star Investigative Journalist
AGM, Feb. 11, 2021 Gallery View
This was our largest ever gathering for an Annual General Meeting with over 600 members joining virtually and close to 6000 joining by proxy vote. Thank you to all who participated, including Mr. Jagmeet Singh, Leader of the NDP Party of Canada and Ms. Moira Welsh, Investigative Journalist with the Toronto Star.
To buy a copy of Moira’s book, Happily Ever Older: Revolutionary Approaches to Long-Term Care, click on this link and use the code: CARP at check out for a 40% member exclusive discount.
Q&A from online chat during the C.A.R.P. AGM
What is CARP’s position on the handling of LTC homes and the large number of Covid deaths across the country from these Homes?
We were among the first calling for urgent action and have called for dismissal of Ontario’s LTC Minister for failure to prevent deaths during the second wave of the virus. https://www.carp.ca/longtermcare/
Could you please provide an update on where Pension Protection is at, and what support we can expect ? (ref. protecting pensions from company bankruptcy).
The federal Liberal Party has failed to act on any significant pension protection legislation thus far. Protecting pensions remains a top priority for C.A.R.P. and we fear this issue will rise again in public consciousness with the instability of business as a result of the pandemic. https://www.carp.ca/2019/02/12/carp-asks-feds-protect-defined-benefit-pensions/
What is CARP’s position on LTC and where we would want to see it in the next decade?
CARP has been calling for reforms in long term care for decades. Our focus for 2021 calls for the government to improve homecare services so that Canadians can live in their home for as long as possible.
There is a UN human rights code for children, why is there not one for seniors?
We don’t believe that Canada should be looking to the UN for guidelines on how we treat our own senior citizens. There have been hundreds of studies and recommendations from authoritative voices within Canada that outline how we can meet the needs of an aging population. Politicians can not kick this problem down the road any longer without continued and perhaps irreparable damage to the health and dignity of our older loved ones.
Why should I renew my CARP membership this month?
CARP Fights. You Win. Joining has never been more important. Check out just some of the important changes and ongoing battles to maintain services that CARP is responsible for.
https://www.carp.ca/wins/
Does CARP have the critical number of 3.5% of seniors in Canada? If not we need to sign more people up to reach that number. It is critical in making change.
See above. CARP has over 300,000 members. If every current member could get just two other people to join, we would be on our way to one million and all politicians would take note or ignore us at their peril.
What is CARP’s, as well as the NDP’s view on creating standardized accessibility assessments that meant the needs of people rather than minimum code as implemented in many provinces. thank you.
Accessibility issues will only continue to grow as our population ages. There have been many positive changes over the past two decades, but there is still much more to be done. As we witness Canada age, removing barriers to access will be a priority for policy makers and voters alike. Canada must be prepared for the additional financial investments that are needed to increase accessibility.
We need a tax credit for our own fitness!
CARP has proposed a fitness tax credit to help seniors maintain their health through physical activity. From sports clubs, to fitness centres and equipment, anything that the government can do to support seniors in maintaining their fitness will be offset 100 times with cost savings in the healthcare system. CARP also calls on our own members to take an active role in their health, through prevention, achieved with proper diet and exercise. Even the smallest amount of daily physical activity helps improve the quality of life of seniors.
https://www.carp.ca/2018/05/16/carp-national-walking-day-events-calendar-may-26th-2018/
Do you have a Quebec chapter? I am a longtime member of CARP and a happy Zoomer magazine lover! My feeling is that sometimes offers in Zoomer magazine and CARP end at the border:”
We do not currently have active volunteers holding events in Quebec, but we do have thousands of members in the province. Quebec is unique in Canada for rules and regulations and we endeavour to make as many of our benefits as possible available to all members across Canada. For entertainment categories, they are obviously related to geography. We welcome recommendations from members as to categories of benefits that we should pursue on their behalf. Please take a moment to review our current list of member benefits, we think they offer tremendous value to all of our members, regardless of their geographical location. https://www.carp.ca/benefits-a-z/
