Election 2021 – Another Win for Liberal Grassroots Policy

August 25, 2021

Liberals listen to Canadian Seniors. Every two years Senior Liberals from coast to coast to coast work hard on policy items of interest and concern to them. This is so they can be reflected in Liberal policy and platform, after wide ranging consultation and policy voting.

This week we saw that consultation bear fruit!

Healthcare and access to family physicians has been an ongoing issue of concern to Canadians – particularly Seniors. In 2018, the Senior Liberals’ Commission brought these issues to the Liberal Convention in Halifax, where our resolution, Reclaiming and Sustaining Canada’s Healthcare, was prioritized.

“This reflects the value of our policy process” explains Judy Berg, who chaired the group that developed the resolution (Dr. David Geen and Doug Hargitt from British Columbia, Dr. Ann Grahame from Saskatchewan and Hilary Williamson from Quebec). “We started with a national survey of senior Liberals, who ranked healthcare as their top priority. The resolution was voted into the top 15 ahead of over 100 original submissions to the LPC Policy process.”

That resolution asked the federal government, in cooperation with provinces, territories, and professional organizations, to:

  1. provide every Canadian access to family physician-led primary care;
  2. eliminate unreasonable wait times to access specialists and surgical procedures; and
  3. encourage innovation in the efficient delivery of, and reduction of costs for, healthcare services in Canada.

Now, our PM has made platform announcements that address all of these, in Making Sure Every Canadian Has Access to a Family Doctor or Primary Health Team.

Since the SLC also advocated for rural and remote healthcare, it was very encouraging to see additional measures to recruit health professionals for rural and remote regions.

Though Senior Liberals championed healthcare to benefit all ages, not just themselves, improved and timely access to care is very important for older Canadians. Our Commission thanks the Liberal Party of Canada for its continuing response to grassroots policy efforts.

The Senior Liberals Commission is composed of volunteers from coast to coast to coast, who assist the Liberal Party of Canada in understanding the needs and interests of Older Canadians.