Dear CALTC Members,

As we reach the midpoint of the federal election campaign, I want to provide a brief update. While there have been some healthcare announcements from federal leaders, there have been no statements yet regarding Canada’s aging demographic or the increasing demand for long-term care. You can stay informed on key campaign developments through the Santis Election Tracker - Santis Health.

I also want to remind you that the CALTC’s election webpage is live, where you can access the member election toolkit. Additionally, our social media campaign is active, with posts scheduled throughout the campaign. We are awaiting the release of party platform documents to assess their impact on health and long-term care. The final list of candidates by riding was released on April 9th by Elections Canada, and is available here: Voter Information Service - Find your electoral district. We encourage you and all long-term care home leaders to engage with your local MP candidates.

I am also pleased to welcome Compass Marquise back to CALTC as a sponsor. We are updating the website with their credentials and are excited to learn more about their work in long-term care. Please join me in welcoming them! You can find information about all CALTC sponsors on the CALTC website.

I would also like to reiterate my request from the last CALTC Quarterly meeting for information from members on LTC home infrastructure assessments, reports on the need for new or redeveloped homes, and existing capital programs in your province. Thank you to those who have already shared information. We will use this to support a follow-up meeting with Infrastructure, Housing and Communities regarding CMHC and the new national housing strategy due in 2027.

Finally, it's been wonderful to see the recent successes of CALTC members! Congratulations to Terry Lake on being awarded an honorary degree from Thompson Rivers University and a King Charles III Coronation Medal for his leadership in healthcare education. Also, congratulations to Donna Duncan and her team at OLTCA for the success of the Together We Care Conference. I know many of you will be hosting events over the next few months, and we wish you the best!

Sincerely,

Jodi

Dear CALTC Members,

Thank you to everyone who attended yesterday’s quarterly meeting and for the valuable discussions.

As you know, the federal election is underway, and CALTC’s election webpage is now live. Our first social media posts have been shared, with more planned throughout the election period. Additionally, we’ve added a memo on tariffs to the election toolkit, which can be found here. We encourage members to use these resources to help facilitate meetings between long-term care homes and local MP candidates.

Just before the election call, I met with the Conservative Shadow Minister for Health to discuss CALTC’s key priorities and federal support for long-term care. I also shared our election materials with MPs connected to health portfolios and sent letters to the Minister of Health and the Minister of Jobs and Families, responsible for seniors under Prime Minister Carney. Given the uncertain election outcome, CALTC is actively engaging with both Liberal and Conservative candidates. Santis is providing CALTC members with an Election Tracker to monitor key developments. We will also review party platforms as they are released to assess their impact on health and long-term care.

During the 2021 federal election, Elections Canada provided a draft guidance document on voting procedures for long-term care residents and in-house polling stations. Some CALTC members have inquired about the final version, but Elections Canada has since directed us to their website and FAQs.

Lastly, I am pleased to share that I have been appointed to the National Sectoral Table on the Care Economy, which will advise on the development of a national caregiving strategy—first announced in the 2024 budget. It remains unclear whether this work will begin post-election. More details can be found here.

Please reach out if you have any questions.

Best,

Jodi

Dear CALTC Members,

As we continue to navigate daily political uncertainty and updates on tariffs, the Federal Liberals have elected a new leader who is now the Prime Minister designate, with a spring election anticipated.  I am continuing to work closely with Sanits to consider any impact of these variables on long term care and planning for the CALTC federal election campaign. Last week, the member’s election toolkit was shared with all CALTC members to be used by homes to engage local MP candidates. This toolkit can be found here. We encourage CALTC members to share this toolkit with your respective members for their use during the election campaign. Although we are not anticipating that long term care will be featured in party election platform documents as in the 2021 election, it is important that election candidates are aware of our key messages and how the federal government can support the long term care sector.

I have participated in several meetings over the last few weeks with government, elected officials, bureaucrats, and national organizations. These have been productive discussions and in particular the meeting with Infrastructure, Housing and Communities regarding the need for long term care home infrastructure development and access to CMHC, was positive. They anticipate a mandate to develop the National Housing Strategy for 2027 once a new government is in place and are open to on-going discussion how the federal government can support the long term care sector.

I look forward to seeing you all at our next quarterly meeting on March 27th.

Sincerely,
Jodi