Thank you very much, Mike.
I am Miranda Ferrier. I am the CEO of the Canadian Support Workers Association. We represent approximately 67,000 support workers across Canada. It is an honour and a privilege to speak today on this very important topic.
I know it's National Nursing Week, but I want to take this opportunity to commemorate Canada's personal support workers who have continued to step up through our COVID-19 pandemic.
We are here to address the ongoing issue of elder abuse, examine the effectiveness of our current laws in fighting elder abuse, analyze ways of penalizing those who neglect seniors under their care, and look at how to combat elder abuse more effectively in the future.
We must first acknowledge one of the very many roots of the cause. Our personal support workers across our nation are unregulated; therefore, our elderly need necessary public protections implemented through government regulations. Regulations provide the industry with a stabilizing element and help professionalize and validate the status of the PSWs. A core mandate of the PSW is to protect older Canadians and seniors and it is surprising that this workforce remains unregulated.
Through the establishment of a regulatory model, it becomes clear that PSWs are formally recognized as equal members of their health care teams, but more specifically, regulation would provide our elders and the public with necessary protections. If adopted nationally, a regulatory model demonstrates clear public safety mechanisms for all Canadians, including seniors. Regulation also levels the playing field in long-term care and community care.
We are grateful that, for the first time ever, the Ontario government has announced that it will be implementing a regulatory body for personal support workers in the province. This is a first step forward to addressing this problem.
Thank you.