Justice committee  I can jump in quickly just to say that we do support the development of elder abuse legislation in Canada that is multi-faceted and that is attached to the older adult and not to a particular setting. I do want to very quickly speak to the concept of owner, because this legislation as presented does not provide a definition of what a long-term care owner is, and there are a multitude of definitions for how that looks across the country.

Justice committee  Yes, and I completely agree with the comments that Terry has laid out. Every type of long-term care home in Canada was impacted by COVID-19. There were no exceptions to that. We know that those experiences were largely shaped by the age of the infrastructure and the home's ability to implement infection prevention and control protocols, as well as the square footage that was available where residents lived together, as well as the number of staff available, especially during those early days.

Justice committee  No, I don't believe that this bill will provide any type of enhancement for the accountability structures that are in place today at the provincial level. We can also look to the Criminal Code as it exists right now. There are examples through legal precedent. I'm not a lawyer, but I can speak to what has been shared with me.

Justice committee  I think that it is an incredibly broad definition of a long-term care facility. It would encapsulate almost all types of long-term care organizations across the continuum of long-term care. It does not necessarily focus just on those organizations that care for older adults but on an entire range of community care organizations that provide extended care.

Justice committee  Thank you for the question. As per the brief that we submitted, we believe that there is absolutely a need of enhancements to address elder abuse in Canada. We need to have it formally defined so that it's consistently considered across the country. As well, elder abuse is much more than the physical aspect.

Justice committee  To be clear, we do not support this legislation as presented. I want to be very clear on that point. There are so many serious challenges within long-term care. We feel that the risk it poses to recruitment and retention within the long-term care sector is significant. There are accountability mechanisms already in place within the Criminal Code and within provincial jurisdiction of long-term care legislation, standards, regulations and inspections, just to name a few.

Justice committee  Yes, there are extensive accountability measures in place at the provincial level. It is the responsibility of the jurisdiction of provincial governments to ensure this level of oversight of long-term care homes. Regardless of the type of home, all long-term care homes would be subject to the provincial regulations and standards.

Justice committee  We remain deeply concerned about the overall scope and impact of Bill C-295 as presented. We feel that many of these challenges are already addressed within provincial legislation and within the Criminal Code as it exists today. Certainly moving away from this legislation would be our first choice.

Justice committee  Members of the committee, I want to start by thanking you for inviting me to appear before you today to discuss Canada’s long-term care sector. My name is Jodi Hall, and I am the CEO of the Canadian Association for Long Term Care. CALTC is committed to ensuring quality long-term care for all, and we advocate on behalf of seniors in long-term care homes and our members.