https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-3206
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED
Whereas:
- COVID-19 has exposed both the degradation and suffering of vulnerable seniors in many long-term care (LTC) facilities, and the instability of the work force;
- Privatization and deregulation have eroded the care seniors receive and profit is made at a cost to seniors, workers and taxpayers;
- The number of direct care hours allocated per resident is neither standardized nor regulated;
- Profit is made by underpaying and overworking frontline staff, which leads to high turnover and employment in multiple facilities, increasing risk of infections;
- Profit is made by subcontracting food, laundry and other services often to the lowest bidder;
- Government doesn’t have an effective monitoring system to identify substandard care in LTC facilities, nor enforceable consequences; and
- Family members or councils are often the first to identify inadequate care.
We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1. Include long-term care in the public health system under the Canada
Health Act.
2. Work with provinces to develop national standards for
person-centered relational care that includes the Registered Nurses’
Association of Ontario’s Basic Care Guarantee staffing formula.
3. Eliminate profit-making by government-funded corporate for-profit
chains – ensure funds provided are spent as allocated and ban
subcontracting.
4. Standardize equitable and living wages and benefits, and implement
single-site employment for all staff.
5. Ensure government oversight and initiate strong penalties and
claw-backs for facilities not complying with standards and regulations.
6. Require independent family councils with protected rights.
Janet Epps On behalf of Action for Reform of Residential Care www.arrcbc.ca
Open for signature February 24, 2021, at 11:52 a.m. (EDT)Closed for signature April 25, 2021, at 11:52 a.m. (EDT)