Mr. Speaker, this week, Canadians were shocked to learn of a case of elder abuse involving a 68-year-old woman with dementia living in an unheated garage.
The minister for seniors responded by saying that these cases were not new. He said that he was familiar with elder abuse from his days as a police official and promised that help was on the way.
This all sounds good but, despite what the minister would have us believe, the Conservatives clearly have no intention of addressing this crime today or ever.
On page 179 of the 2011-12 estimates, the government committed to slash the funding to non-profit organizations working to reduce the incidence of elder abuse and fraud.
That is right, despite the promises of help to prevent elder abuse, the Conservatives plan to cut this funding by a staggering 44%.
Elder abuse is a heinous crime that can and must be stopped.
Talk is not enough. When will the Conservatives start living up to their own promises and start standing up and protecting seniors?