Statement by Dr. Cindy Forbes, President of the Canadian Medical Association

OTTAWA, Sept. 2, 2015 /CNW/ - Canadians too often have been frustrated when a federal election campaign degenerates into blame games and partisan insults. Fortunately, this federal election campaign is turning out to be different with meaningful discussion of issues that matter to Canadians of all ages.

While the Canadian Medical Association is non-partisan in this campaign, we have been campaigning hard to make seniors health care a ballot issue and to persuade all parties to include seniors care in their campaign platforms.

That is why the CMA was gratified to see two important milestones today in the dialogue this campaign has become:

• Green Party Leader Elizabeth May proposed a national seniors strategy that includes a guaranteed livable income and a nationwide pharmacare program. And we are particularly gratified that Ms. May said the Green party supports a call from the CMA for a strategy to allow seniors to stay in their homes so that they can remain active and enjoying quality of life.
• We also welcome Justin Trudeau's letter to the premiers in which the Liberal Leader pledged to keep a focus on health care issues that matter such as wait times, affordability of prescription drugs, availability of home care and community-based services, and coping with our aging population. As Mr. Trudeau aptly noted in his letter: "When it comes to our health and well-being, we want and expect our political leaders to make real progress on the issues that intimately affect us and our families.'' We couldn't agree more and the Liberal leader's call for federal leadership on health care is well timed.

We would be remiss not to acknowledge that NDP Leader Tom Mulcair has included a national seniors strategy on aging and palliative care in written party policy since 2014. And in fairness, we acknowledge steps, albeit incremental, by the governing Conservatives such as acknowledgement last May of the need for a national dementia strategy.

Canada's doctors believe fixing seniors care will go a long way in fixing the entire health care system. And we believe a healthy health care system will have great economic importance as Canadians go into a slow-growth era because of our aging population. Good social policy is good economic policy.

We remain committed to work with any party dedicated to better seniors care and a renewed health system overall.

Dr. Cindy Forbes,
President, Canadian Medical Association

SOURCE Canadian Medical Association

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