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.

On April 26, 2023, FPT Ministers gathered for an in-person meeting in Toronto. During this meeting, Ministers discussed several pressing issues, including addressing affordability and cost-of-living issues for seniors.

Work is underway on the current FPT 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.

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 Labour and Seniors, the Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., and the Ontario Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, the Honourable Raymond Cho.

The PT Co-chair role usually 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:

The role of technology to enhance aging in place;

Senior abuse: during the pandemic and beyond; and

Supportive housing for a diverse senior population.

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:

An Examination of the Social and Economic Impacts of Ageism

A Case Study on Ageism During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Enabling Older Adults to Age in Community

The Future of Aging in Canada Virtual Symposium: What We Heard

FPT Ministers Responsible for Seniors Forum Meeting

On April 26, 2023, FPT Ministers gathered for an in-person meeting in Toronto and approved two reports:

From the Ageism priority, Consultations on Ageism in Canada - What We Heard Report

From the Senior Abuse priority, Preventing and Responding to the Mistreatment of Older Adults: Gaps and Challenges Exposed During the Pandemic

FPT Ministers also discussed addressing affordability and cost-of-living issues for seniors. Provinces and Territories had the opportunity to share initiatives to help seniors deal with economic concerns, approaches, successes, and lessons learned.

The Forum is currently in the process of completing the carry-over work from the ageism priority and work for the deliverables associated with the new priorities is ongoing.

Ageism

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 completed by roughly 3,000 individuals across Canada was supplemented by eight regional roundtables, 16 community-led group discussions and two meetings with national Aboriginal organizations. The information gathered was reflected in a What We Heard report.

Work has been initiated on a final policy options report proposing approaches, initiatives and strategies to address ageism towards older adults in Canada.

The Role of Technology to Enhance Aging in Place

Work on a Report on the Impact of Internet Connectivity and Technological Tools on Reducing Seniors’ Social Isolation and Loneliness during the Pandemic and Beyond is underway. This project will propose policies to adapt service delivery to seniors through the internet and other technological tools.

Senior Abuse: During the Pandemic and Beyond

The next deliverable will focus on measures that FPT governments can consider to address financial abuse of seniors, including working in partnership with other actors.

Supportive Housing for a Diverse Seniors Population

Work under the Housing priority is being initiated. The first project consists of a matrix of profiles for older adults and a trend analysis to determine where unique gaps, challenges and/or housing barriers exist for the segments of the older adult population most in need of core housing.

None