In June, Ontario celebrates its seniors.  Seniors’ Month brings our older citizens to the front of our collective minds, recognizing their contributions and the importance of creating a culture free of ageism, where age is truly just a number and not indicative of our worth as members of society.

It’s also an important reminder that, for the majority of the year, seniors in Canada tend to go unnoticed by the political powers that shape their circumstances.

Longevity is one of the greatest achievements of the last century.  Yet, all too often, opportunities to help older Canadians age well are passed up: long-term care is chronically underfunded; home care services often fall short; Canada’s health care system has not kept pace with evolving needs; pensioners’ financial security remains at risk, and mandatory RRIF (Registered Retirement Savings Fund) withdrawals are out of sync with life expectancies and time spent in retirement.

COVID-19 has exacerbated these issues, making them more urgent than ever.  At CARP, we are committed to fighting for improved financial security, equitable access to health care services, and freedom from ageism.

I guess you could say (at the risk of sounding overly sentimental) that for us, every month is Seniors’ Month.

And it should be for you, too, no matter your age!  One of the things that we love most about our members is that they are fierce advocates not just for themselves, but for their children and grandchildren.  We’re all getting older—when we make Canada a great place to age, we all win.

Advocacy is a powerful tool to make this happen and it’s at the heart of what CARP stands for.

Lending your support to an advocacy organization like CARP is a great way to get involved, while meeting others in your community who care about the same causes you do.  CARP has chapters across the country, which bring together like-minded people to take action on the local concerns affecting their lives on a daily basis (while making some life changing friendships along the way).  We see the results of their work all year long, celebrating alongside them while amplifying our members’ voices to a volume that federal and provincial governments cannot ignore.

Getting older is inevitable, but ageing poorly is not.  Together, we can make Canada the greatest place to age.

We invite you to join us in fighting for our seniors.

Yours truly,

Marissa Lennox
Chief Policy Officer, CARP