The global pandemic has revealed the dire state of long-term care in Canada. The vast majority of all COVID-19 deaths in Canada are connected to private long-term care facilities that treat elder care as a form of profit, not a public good. As we enter the second wave of COVID-19, it’s clear that priority No. 1 should be to bring long-term care under the Canada Health Act, and bring all for-profit long-term care homes under public control. None of that can be done without the help of the federal government.
Instead of spending tens of billions of dollars on a crude oil pipeline, Justin Trudeau should be increasing funding to the provinces and putting an end to for-profit long-term care facilities. While the Trans Mountain pipeline will only create a few hundred long-term jobs, investing in a public long-term care system could create thousands of well-paid care jobs across the country.
It’s time for Justin Trudeau to re-evaluate his priorities. It’s time to defund the Trans Mountain pipeline and invest in protecting our most vulnerable once and for all.
Debbie McGee
St. John’s
