In the featured photo, members of the Manitoba Seniors Equity Action including Past Chair, Carmen Nedohin.

 

October 2025

 

After years of advocacy, the CARP Manitoba Chapter has achieved a big victory for seniors across the province with their push and creation of the Seniors’ Advocate Office. 

 

CARP welcomes the appointment of Leigh Anne Caron as Manitoba’s first independent advocate for seniors. Caron will officially begin her role on November 12, 2025. This appointment marks a major milestone in the long-promised Manitoba plan to establish an independent Seniors’ Advocate, which will ensure that older adults finally have a dedicated, impartial voice in provincial government. 

 

This success highlights the power of grassroots advocacy and positions CARP Manitoba as a pivotal force in shaping policy for older adults. This triumph belongs to all the volunteers and community advocates who raised their voices, drafted letters, spoke to media and political leaders, and mobilized support for change. 

 

However, the work is far from over. Manitoba, like the rest of Canada, faces an aging population with more people entering their senior years than ever before. As the population ages, pressures on long-term care, home and community care, affordable housing, and the healthcare system will only intensify. The new Advocate role must go beyond identifying gaps; it must drive solutions and ensure seniors’ voices are heard at the table of public policy. 

 

With this announcement, Manitoba joins British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick in having a dedicated Seniors’ Advocate. CARP continues to call on all remaining provinces/territories to follow their lead and ensure that every older Canadian has an independent voice representing their needs at the policy table. 

 

CARP stands ready to work alongside the Advocate to amplify these priorities and hold the government accountable. This is a big win for Manitoba seniors, but also a call to action. All levels of government must commit to policies that will allow Canadians to age with security, dignity, and independence.