The CBC Pensioners National Association is pleased to see more funding for the CBC included in the federal budget tabled yesterday in the House of Commons.
One hundred and fifty million dollars in 2025-26 for CBC/Radio-Canada has been committed in order to “strengthen its mandate to serve the public and to better reflect the needs of Canadians.” This money was promised in the recent election campaign and we are glad to see the Liberal government has lived up to that promise. However, we note that the funding is for one year while most other cultural funding is for a three-year period.
The future is less clear. However, the Government says it will explore modernising CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate to strengthen independence. What that will look like and how it will address the issue of long-term stable funding is still unknown.
We will be following this closely in the coming months.
SENIORS
While we welcome the news on CBC funding, we are deeply concerned that there is virtually nothing in the budget to address the concerns of seniors. We had hoped that initiatives to tackle the ever-rising cost of living and access to health care confronting Canada’s seniors would be included.
The issues are real.
Prices for essentials like groceries, transportation, and healthcare have increased significantly. At the same time benefits such as the Old Age Security (OAS) and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) will not keep pace with rapid price surges for many households.
Many seniors live on small fixed incomes, relying primarily on government benefits which total less than $25,000 a year. Single seniors and older women are particularly vulnerable.
An estimated eight-percent of older adults in Canada report not having a regular doctor. Even for those with doctors, timely access is a major issue, with only a quarter of older adults able to get a same- or next-day appointment when needed.
Access to long term and home care continues to be a major issue made worse by staff shortages and high turnover rates
Three years ago, an expert panel pulled together by the federal government determined that urgent attention must be focused on three main areas that most confront Canadian seniors: financial benefits focusing on low-income older people (often women), community-based support and services, and planning for aging, retirement, and life in later years
The panel produced a list of 20 recommendations, which included:
- the creation of a new Age at Home Benefit
- the establishment of a public national insurance program for home care and support
- an increase to the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and a call to expand eligibility criteria
- the promotion of existing programs that provide housing for older persons
- the conversion of the Canada Caregiver Credit into a refundable tax-free benefit, allowing all caregivers to receive up to $1,250 a year
A full list of their recommendations can be found at https://www.canada.ca/en/national-seniors-council/programs/publications-reports/aging-home.html
The CBC Pensioners National Association had hoped that at least some of these critical recommendations would get attention in this latest budget. In the coming months, we’ll be working to find ways to move them up the government’s priority list.