Question Period Note: STRENGTHENING CANADA’S APPROACH TO ELDER ABUSE

What is the government doing to protect Canada's seniors from elder abuse?

• The Government of Canada values the many contributions made by seniors to our nation. That is why we are working to implement measures to help improve the lives of seniors and their families.
• We recognize that elder abuse is a serious issue affecting many older people in Canada, and even more so in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has contributed to further isolating seniors.
• The Government is committed to working with Parliament on Criminal Code amendments to explicitly penalize those who neglect seniors under their care, putting them in danger.
• The Government is also committed to strengthening Canada's approach to elder abuse, including creating a national definition of elder abuse.
• Through Budget 2021, the Government of Canada proposes to provide $50 million over five years to design and deliver interventions that promote safe relationships and prevent family violence, including elder abuse.
• The Government also provides funding under the New Horizons for Seniors Program to community groups to help promote awareness of senior abuse, including financial abuse.

The abuse of older adults remains an often hidden but serious social problem that affects the lives of thousands of seniors in Canada. Senior abuse includes physical abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse and sexual abuse.
In December 2018, Ministers approved the National Seniors Council’s three-year work plan (2018-2021) with the following four work priorities:
- Identifying measures to address crimes and other harms against seniors;
- Examining potential objectives and elements of a national seniors strategy;
- Providing advice on federal initiatives (such as the National Housing Strategy) using an age-friendly/healthy aging perspective; and
- Identifying measures to counteract ageism by shifting the public discourse on aging.
The NSC hosted an expert round table and town hall in March 2019, to identify promising practices and discuss new measures to reduce financial crimes and harms against seniors. A ‘what we heard report’ summarizing the discussions was published on the Government of Canada website in August 2019.
From 2007 to 2015, the New Horizons for Seniors Program pan-Canadian funding focused on increasing the awareness of elder abuse and invested in over 70 projects, which developed, replicated, adapted, and disseminated tools, resources and promising practices across the country.
The New Horizons for Seniors Program's community-based funding stream continues to increase elder abuse awareness through its annual funding of one-year community-based projects for an amount of up to $25,000. From 2004-2019, the Government of Canada awarded close to $35 million in funding to organizations across Canada for more than 700 projects with a focus on elder abuse awareness.
The Minister of Seniors 2019 mandate letter commitments included working with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to strengthen Canada's approach to elder abuse by: creating a national definition of elder abuse; investing in better data collection and law enforcement related to elder abuse; and establishing new offences and penalties in the Criminal Code related to elder abuse.
In the Speech from the Throne delivered on September 23, 2020, the Government committed to working with Parliament on Criminal Code amendments to explicitly penalize those who neglect seniors under their care, putting them in danger.
The Minister of Seniors 2021 supplementary mandate letter commitment included continuing to support the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to establish new offences and penalties in the Criminal Code related to elder abuse and neglect.
Budget 2021 proposed to provide $50 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, for the Public Health Agency of Canada to design and deliver interventions that promote safe relationships and prevent family violence, including intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, and elder abuse.

• According to the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly (2015):
- the prevalence of elder abuse in Canada is 7.5%;
- the most frequent perpetrators are close family members;
- among the most significant risk factors for abuse are depression and having been abused at an earlier stage in life.