OTTAWA – This pandemic has hit Canadian seniors in long-term care the hardest. So many families lost their loved ones. Loved ones who will no longer be there at family reunions, birthday parties or the high holidays. But instead of doing something to prioritize the health and well-being of seniors in long-term care, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals and Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives choose to protect shareholder profits and do as little as possible to fix the system. They choose profits for big corporations and more privatization over the well-being of our family members.

“We already knew that the Liberals and Conservatives are not in it for everyday people but refusing to do something to help stop the devastation in long-term care is something else,” said the Leader of the NDP Jagmeet Singh. “Both Justin Trudeau and Erin O’Toole refuse to remove profits out of long-term care. The NDP is clear, nobody should profit off the neglect of our seniors in long-term care. COVID-19 claimed thousands of lives. Families are grieving. We must send a clear message: the health and well-being of people must come before profits, always.”

In a recent interview with the Star’s editorial board, the Leader of the Conservatives, Erin O’Toole, said that “it really didn’t matter if there was public versus private ownership” of long-term care homes. His statement comes after multiple reports that showed the devastating conditions in which our loved ones have been forced to endure in for-profit long-term care compared to publicly owned homes. There is significant and groundbreaking evidence that conditions in for-profit long-term care are worse than publicly owned homes. Furthermore, the evidence shows that there have been more deaths in for-profits long-term care homes during the pandemic.

“Liberals and Conservatives are out of touch with the reality families and their loved ones have faced in for-profit long-term care during this pandemic,” said Singh. “The deaths in long-term care could have been avoided if profits weren’t the main goal. When profits influence decisions, we minimize the importance of people’s dignity and well-being. The NDP has a plan to take profits out of long-term care and implement a Care Guarantee for our loved ones. Canadians deserve no less.”