Madam Chair, members of the committee, bonjour.
Joining me today is our director of partnerships and outreach, Raeann Rideout.
Thank you for inviting us to speak with you about elder abuse. Let me get straight to the point. We are now in a state of crisis.
Our parents, siblings, neighbours, friends and others within the community who have no one to turn to are facing unprecedented rates and increased risks of abuse, physical, psychological, and sexual, as well as financial exploitation.
Over the past year, call volumes to the 24-hour seniors safety line have risen 250% in Ontario—250%. Let that sink in.
Many more are victims of neglect. The lockdown measures intended to curb the spread of the virus have only exacerbated those issues arising from isolation, translating into increased vulnerabilities to abuse.
Here are but a few of the stories that we have heard each day: A woman was forced by her family to live in an unheated garage with the windows darkened. A senior man was found lying alone in a bed, covered in feces. A late resident in a Mississauga long-term care home was robbed of her life savings by the person who abused their authority as her power of attorney. These are heartbreaking yet all too common incidents of vicious abuse.
This problem needs to be identified and it needs to be named. Elder abuse cannot be buried within other strategies and programs. Systemic issues require deliberate and systemic approaches. If we do not answer the call now, we might not get a second chance.
What can the federal government do to effectively combat elder abuse? It starts with one thing: prevention.
First, the federal government should support the continued development and implementation of a national elder abuse strategy, one that includes diverse communities with a pan-Canadian awareness-building campaign. People need to know how to recognize the signs and how to take appropriate action, particularly in situations where someone is incapable of doing so for themselves. People need to know how to protect themselves and be able to access services in a timely manner.
Second, the federal government should provide tethered funding to provinces and territories to support the execution of this national strategy. It is fundamental that the federal government leverage its ability to engage provinces in bilateral agreements to increase safety and well-being outcomes for seniors, no matter where they reside.
Whether at the national, provincial or local level, community-based volunteer, non-profit organizations such as the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, local area networks, and Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario need to be sustainably supported.
In Ontario, where there were once 57 networks, we are now down to 30. We are on the front lines, but our capacity is dwindling. These organizations are best positioned to raise awareness through education and to provide localized and culturally appropriate responses related to elder abuse.
Third, the federal government must invest in better data collection related to elder abuse. The mandate letter of the Minister of Seniors confirms this.
We need data for evidence-based decision-making to be able to tackle the issues with timely precision. To do so, the federal government should require federal, federally funded and regulated agencies to collect disaggregated data on elder abuse and neglect and to report it; integrate data collection requirements into future national standards for long-term care; and invest in research to better understand and respond to elder abuse and neglect.
The federal government must also consider public policies through an intersectional lens that takes age into account. In fact, ageism is at the core of elder abuse.
Demanding accountability from groups and individuals working with older populations is fair, but accountability needs to start with government.
In politics it is said that people regret the things they do not do. This is our opportunity to have no further regrets. The cost of not addressing the elder abuse crisis in Canada is too high.
Thank you.