Ontario Election 2022
What this election means for seniors
Ontarians are gearing up to vote on June 2nd and, as always, there are a number of important issues affecting the lives of older people in the province.
Seniors hold the power to sway any election, and this one is no different. We’re breaking down each party platform, pulling out what they’re promising to do for you and your loved ones so that you can hit the polls with confidence.
We’re also making some strong asks of the candidates–things that are critically important to empowering you to live the life you want to live. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, we all want the same thing: for all older Ontarians to live with dignity, respect and on their own terms.
Check back often for updates as they come in, and for our official statement on the results!
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Our Top 3 Ontario Election issues
All Ontario parties must commit to the following on behalf of all older people in the province.
Fix seniors care
All Ontarians deserve to age where they want to live with dignity and empowerment.
The next Government of Ontario must fix seniors’ care by committing to:
- Expand investments in home care
- Make supports to age in place easily accessible to all
- Increase levels of qualified and skilled staff across the seniors’ care continuum, including long-term care homes, primary care and home care.
- Allow pharmacies to administer all necessary vaccines to keep seniors safe at home
Protect seniors’ money
Ontarians are living longer than ever, putting many of us at risk of outliving our hard-earned savings. Seniors deserve to live comfortably without fear of financial hardship due to outdated retirement savings rules and restrictions that prioritize corporations over people.
The next Government of Ontario must protect seniors’ money by committing to:
- Support older workers by combating ageist hiring practices
- Protect pensions from being lost when companies go bankrupt
- Create innovative retirement savings options for people without pensions
- Allow more flexibility in how people contribute to and access their retirement savings
- Increase financial supports for unpaid caregivers
Prevent elder abuse
Incidents of elder abuse have skyrocketed during the pandemic. Ontario seniors deserve to live free from abuse and neglect.
The next Government of Ontario must uphold the rights of older people by committing to:
- Educate anyone working with seniors to recognize and report elder abuse, and refer victims to community support services
- Increase supports for victims of elder abuse
- Enforce harsher penalties on perpetrators of elder abuse
- Work with all communities in Ontario to become age-friendly
Become an Advocate
Your voice is powerful. We’ve created a toolkit you can use when speaking to candidates about the issues that matter to you.
Party Promises
Below is a breakdown of what each party is promising older voters. To make it easier to read, promises are broken down into sections taken from our policy book, VOICES: A Roadmap to an Age-Inclusive Canada.
Conservative Party (Official Opposition)
Leader: Doug Ford
Political Spectrum: Right
The Conservatives slogan is “Get it done”. They have key points: Rebuilding Ontario’s Economy, Working for Workers, Building Highways and Key Infrastructure, Keeping Costs Down and Plan to Stay Open. Key highlights of these points relevant to older Ontarians are hiring more nurses, allowing more seniors to stay in their homes and producing more vaccines and PPE here in Ontario. They are scant on details within their official party website however, if we look to the Budget they announced last week as the outline of their platform then we can see that there are not a lot of ‘promises’ that will help Ontario’s older adult population.
- Partial Win
- Complete Win
Liberal Party
Leader: Steven Del Dulca
Political Spectrum: Centre
The Liberal Party platform promises “economic dignity” for Ontarians young and old. This would include a top-up for low-income seniors to what they receive from the federal government, wage increases for PSW’s and healthcare workers, deliver ‘consistent’ pay across health and home care, long-term care and hospitals. They are also promising to eliminate for profit long-term care and build new beds or upgrade existing spaces; expand and make permanent the Seniors’s Home Safety Tax Credit and make the Ontario Caregivers Tax Credit refundable, tax-free and payable throughout the year.
They have no promises about reducing or eliminating elder abuse or helping older Ontarians reduce social isolation.
- Partial Win
- Complete Win
New Democratic Party (NDP)
Leader: Andrea Horwath
Political Spectrum: Centre-left
“Strong. Ready. Working for You.” is the name of the Ontario NDP’s election 2022 platform. They plan on doing this by making life affordable from housing to auto insurance to groceries to electricity and gas at the pumps. There is a focus on creating provincial pharmacare, more money to healthcare including money for doctors in northern communities.
- Partial Win
- Complete Win
Green Party
Leader: Mike Schreiner
Political Spectrum: Centre-Left
The Green Party of Ontario proposes “New solutions to old problems” in their 2022 platform. They highlight key priorities such as building homes instead of highways, prioritizing mental health, focusing on climate and environmental protection, respecting people and workers, and investing in healthcare and education. To support older adults, they plan on building more beds for long-term care facilities, investing funds into improving homecare services, raising wages for personal support workers and improving access to palliative and end-of-life care.
- Partial Win
- Complete Win
Voter Information
The best source of information on how, when and where to vote is Elections Ontario. Here are some helpful links: