Dear CARP Members,

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself in my new role as President of CARP. Many of you may know me from my years working to grow CARP’s volunteer chapters across Canada, or from our national webinars, but today I’m writing to share not just my title, but why this work matters to me personally.

Over the past 16 years with CARP, I’ve had the privilege of working on the very issues that so many Canadian families — including my own — are living through: helping downsize from a home that’s too much to manage, navigating memory loss and dementia, giving up driving privileges, struggling to find a family doctor or get timely access to specialists, lingering in ER hallways, facing mobility challenges, organizing finances and assigning trusted powers of attorney. These aren’t just policy topics — they’re day-to-day realities I’ve seen firsthand as my parents have aged.

Caring for my parents has never felt like a burden. It is something I consider a privilege. Everything that I have learned over my years at CARP has helped tremendously as we have navigated through the trials of aging together. I’m also firmly in that Gen X “sandwich generation,” providing care for my aging parents while raising four daughters with my wife. Today, my father is in long-term care, and my mother is navigating both her own health issues and the role of caregiver. I know many of you are in similar situations.

I also know that our advocacy at CARP has made a difference — not just for my family, but for seniors across the country. From pension income splitting that my parents had hoped to rely on, to vaccines and medications they can now receive without paying out of pocket, from the increase in Old Age Security and the stability of the Canada Pension Plan, to real improvements in long-term care and a broader societal shift in how we see aging through the Zoomer lens — we’ve helped change what it means to grow older in Canada.

Of course, some experiences have made this work even more personal. My parents were both employees of Nortel. Like many Canadians, they counted on their workplace pensions, only to face devastating uncertainty when the company collapsed. That moment sharpened my resolve to ensure no senior faces that kind of insecurity again and informed CARP’s work on pension protection at the time of the Sears bankruptcy.

That’s why I’m committed to ensuring CARP continues to be a strong, independent voice for older Canadians. Whether we’re fighting for better healthcare, income security, caregiver support or age-inclusive policy at every level of government, I’ll keep working with our team, our chapters and our dedicated volunteers to push for real change.

Thank you for being part of this movement. I look forward to connecting with more of you in the months ahead.

Warm regards,
Anthony Quinn
President, CARP