Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the priorities of this government is to enable seniors to age in place with dignity. It is great a sound byte with no real plan and limited action from this government.
Mr. Speaker, there are seniors living in their homes who are bedridden with limited support. There are seniors housebound because they are in a wheelchair and without a wheelchair ramp. There are seniors living in homes that are in need of major repair. We have seniors living in homes where the wooden basement and structure is being compromised by frost heaves. We have seniors without homes who are living on the street. We evict seniors from public housing units. We have seniors locked up in extended care facilities with limited interaction with others. We promise more homecare support but have no plan and no budget. We house seniors from the south while those born and raised here go without. We have seniors who are abused by family members and we do nothing. And we have seniors who are abused and neglected by this very government and, again, we do nothing.
Mr. Speaker, I can go on and on but the reality is that this government needs to step up and address all these issues I mentioned. It is not the responsibility of one department; it is the responsibility of several and all of us working together. To start, we all need to show compassion and respect for seniors. We need to listen to all seniors and not just those that have the means to get our attention.
Mr. Speaker, seniors want to see a commitment and a plan from this government that will allocate the financial and human resources that will allow them to age at home with dignity, that will provide those without a home with suitable housing or accommodations, that will provide them the care they require to stay healthy and safe, and to provide each with a quality of life and a quality of living that we would want for our own parents.
Mr. Speaker, I ask each of the Ministers sitting across from me if they are up to the challenge? Will they commit to making a difference for seniors, and I ask each if they will start now. And before answering that, to consider what they would want and find acceptable for their own parents. Thank you.