There has been a lot of discussion lately on what we, as a society, should do to improve long-term care. Despite the hullabaloo, many care workers are still being abused by private long-term care operators, who use temporary workers to make their profits, allowing them to pay very poor wages and provide few, if any benefits for months, if not years, on end.
The provincial government for its part is satisfied to continue subsidizing private, profit seeking companies to care for our elderly and disabled people. I thought the NDP still believed in, at least, a small amount of socialism. Apparently socialism is no longer a part of the NDP doctrine.
The federal government is not willing to consider stepping into a provincial jurisdiction to come up with a national solution. Considering that 5,324 people and counting have perished prematurely in Canadian long-term care homes due to the pandemic, maybe it’s time to change that term to reflect the reality. Perhaps “short-term care homes” would be more appropriate.
Rod Retzlaff
Glade
