Question Period Note: FEDERAL, PROVINCIAL AND TERRITORIAL SENIORS FORUM

What is the Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Seniors Forum doing to support seniors?

• The mandate of the FPT Ministers Responsible for Seniors Forum is to: discuss issues of importance to seniors; share information on seniors’ wellbeing; and undertake initiatives to advance issues of common FPT concern.
• Recognizing that seniors are a diverse and fast-growing demographic group in Canada, the FPT Seniors Forum is keeping abreast of key issues and collaborating to support seniors’ social and economic well-being.
• On February 24, 2022, FPT Ministers met and approved the work plan for the 2022-2025 work cycle which included the carry-over work under the Ageism priority from the last work cycle as well as three new key priorities:
• The Role of Technology to Enhance Aging in Place;
• Senior Abuse: During the Pandemic and Beyond; and
• Supportive Housing for a Diverse Seniors Population.
• Work is currently underway to complete the deliverables outlined in the 2022 2025 work plan.
• On August 15, 2022, the FPT Seniors Forum launched a consultation on ageism to better understand and address the negative impacts of ageism toward older adults in Canada. An online questionnaire will be supplemented by regional roundtables, community-led group discussions and engagement with national Aboriginal organizations, culminating in a What We Heard report.

Governance of the Forum
The Forum has three levels of governance: 1) the FPT Ministers Responsible for Seniors; 2) the Committee of FPT Deputy Ministers (DM) Responsible for Seniors, and, 3) the Committee of FPT Officials Responsible for Seniors.
All 14 governments are represented at each level of governance of the Forum.
The Forum is Co-Chaired by the Federal Minister responsible for seniors, the Honourable Kamal Khera, and the Ontario Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, the Honourable Raymond Cho.
The PT Co-chair role rotates following each in-person Ministers’ meeting, usually every 12-18 months, among PT Ministers responsible for their governments’ seniors’ portfolio.
The Forum’s Working Groups develop reports based on Working Group activities for the consideration of the Committee of FPT Officials, which are reviewed and approved by the Deputy level committee, and will be submitted to Ministers for final approval.
The FPT Seniors Secretariat (ESDC) provides support to all levels of the Forum to ensure successful day-to-day functioning, teleconferences and meetings;
All jurisdictions contribute to a shared budget that is governed by the Intergovernmental Agreement. PT contributions to the Forum budget are held in a specified purpose account (SPA) that is administered by ESDC.
Priorities for the Forum’s next 3-year work cycle
• On June 9, 2021, Ministers approved the priorities for the Forum’s 2021-2024 work cycle, which are:
o The role of technology to enhance aging in place;
o Senior abuse: during the pandemic and beyond; and
o Supportive housing for a diverse senior population.
o In addition, Ministers approved the carry over work on the ageism priority from the last work cycle
• On February 24, 2022, Ministers approved the work plans for the Forum’s 2022–2025 work cycle, and discussed and approved the following reports commissioned by the Forum, which have since been made available on the Forum’s website:
o An Examination of the Social and Economic Impacts of Ageism
o A Case Study on Ageism During the COVID-19 Pandemic
o Enabling Older Adults to Age in Community
o The Future of Aging in Canada Virtual Symposium: What We Heard

The Forum is currently in the process of completing the carry-over work from the ageism priority and beginning work for the deliverables associated with the new priorities.
The public consultation on ageism toward older adults in Canada, launched on August 15, 2022, includes an online questionnaire and Share Your Story forum, and will be supplemented by eight regional roundtables, various community-led group discussions and engagement with national Aboriginal organizations in fall 2022. Feedback will be summarized in a What We Heard report. A final report will support FPT governments to consider how they may address the negative impacts of ageism toward older adults.

None