{"id":1006,"date":"2025-04-08T19:10:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T23:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qa.yourwebsitebuild.com\/nia\/?post_type=commentary&#038;p=1006"},"modified":"2025-11-24T15:27:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T20:27:43","slug":"canada-needs-a-minister-for-older-persons-a-call-to-action-for-the-2025-election","status":"publish","type":"commentary","link":"https:\/\/qa.yourwebsitebuild.com\/nia\/commentaries\/canada-needs-a-minister-for-older-persons-a-call-to-action-for-the-2025-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada Needs a Minister for Older Persons: A Call to Action for the 2025 Election"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An Open Letter to Political Parties Contesting the 2025 Canadian Federal Election<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As organizations that support older adults in Canada, we call on the political parties contesting the 2025 general election to commit to establishing a dedicated federal Minister for Older Persons (Seniors). This portfolio would champion the rights of older Canadians across departments and promote their inclusion in the many decisions that directly impact them. The Minister would be supported by a dedicated staff and a discrete funding envelope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Canada rapidly approaches \u201csuper-aged\u201d nation status, with Canadians aged 65+ soon comprising nearly a quarter of the population, it is critical that our government be prepared to meet the needs of older Canadians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While various departments touch on issues that affect older Canadians \u2014 including health, housing, employment and skills development, finance \u2014 there is no single office ensuring that Canada\u2019s policies are coordinated and responsive to the coming demographic shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Minister for Older Persons would provide focused leadership in addressing these pressing issues, ensuring that the voices of older Canadians are not just heard but leveraged to actively shape critical policy decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Older Canadians consistently turn out to vote at the highest rates and deserve to know where each party stands. Will you commit to establishing a Minister for Older Persons?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sector eagerly awaits a response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Alyssa Brierley, Executive Director<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Institute on Ageing\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Margaret Gillis, Founding President<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>International Longevity Centres (ILC) Canada\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jim Grieve, Chief Executive Officer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Retired Teachers of Ontario (RTOERO)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Kahir Lalji, Chief Executive Officer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>HelpAge Canada<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Liv Mendelsohn, Executive Director<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>B\u00e9n\u00e9dicte Schoepflin, Executive Director<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Laura Tamblyn-Watts, Chief Executive Officer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CanAge<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An Open Letter to Political Parties Contesting the 2025 Canadian Federal Election As organizations that support older adults in Canada, we call on the political parties contesting the 2025 general election to commit to establishing a dedicated federal Minister for Older Persons (Seniors). This portfolio would champion the rights of older Canadians across departments and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"image":"","link":"https:\/\/qa.yourwebsitebuild.com\/nia\/commentaries\/canada-needs-a-minister-for-older-persons-a-call-to-action-for-the-2025-election\/","target":"","category":"<div class=\"category\">Healthy Ageing<\/div>","date_formatted":"April 8, 2025"},"category":[7],"stake-holder":[16,14,15],"class_list":["post-1006","commentary","type-commentary","status-publish","hentry","category-healthy-ageing","stake-holder-older-adult","stake-holder-policy-makers","stake-holder-sector-organizations"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Canada Needs a Minister for Older Persons: A Call to Action for the 2025 Election - NIA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Canada Needs a Minister for Older Persons: A Call to Action for the 2025 Election - NIA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An Open Letter to Political Parties Contesting the 2025 Canadian Federal Election As organizations that support older adults in Canada, we call on the political parties contesting the 2025 general election to commit to establishing a dedicated federal Minister for Older Persons (Seniors). 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