Just like how Canada got rid of private, for-profit hospitals in the 1960s, the federal NDP Leader insists we can do the same for long-term care.
Jagmeet Singh is not daunted by the fact long-term care is a provincial responsibility.
"When we speak to [those] who have seen the horrible conditions in long-term care, they don't want to hear excuses based on jurisdiction. They want to see some action," he said. "We have to show leadership."
Singh took part in a zoom call Tuesday morning with Windsor West MP Brian Masse, a union official who represents workers in long-term care homes in Windsor-Essex, and a local woman who told reporters her 98-year-old father has deteriorated in a for-profit home during the pandemic.
Helen, who did not want to use her last name, recounted how her tight-knit family would visit her father daily in "one of the better homes" before the pandemic. Now, she is the only one that can see him.
"Yeah, they would Facetime us, but it got to a point where he would say to us, 'why haven't you been here? Are you mad at me?'" said Helen, her voice breaking. "I would have to try to explain to him that we just weren't allowed in."
Her sister, a nurse in the U.S., is not allowed in the facility at all. When the family asked for an explanation why it went beyond provincial guidelines, they did not get any answers.
She does not blame the staff caring for her father. She can tell they are exhausted beyond measure.
Singh said part of his plan to overhaul long-term care in Canada is to boost pay for workers, along with staffing.
"If you have enough workers who are paid well, are able to work at one facility, they provide excellent care for seniors," he said. "When they're understaffed, when they're asked to do so much with so little, seniors are the ones that end up suffering."
President of Unifor Local 2458 Tullio DiPonti via Zoom on Tuesday, February 9 2021.
Tullio Diponti with Unifor Local 2458 called the current situation "a deep mess" that existed before the pandemic.
"If these homeowners cared about the residents before they cared about their stockholders and their profits, a lot of our family members would be alive," he asserted.
He accused for-profit homeowners of doing nothing to prepare for the second wave of the pandemic, and alleged he is still fighting with them for proper personal protective equipment for staff.
Diponti said his members care for residents as if they were their own family, and watching the first and then the second wave of the pandemic play out has taken a drastic toll on their mental health.
"They formulate a family with these residents, especially now that family members can't go visit," said Diponti. "When they go in there, they sit in their car, and they're crying. They're hoping that person that they've taken care of is not going to die on their shift."
Singh insisted the federal government is not helpless. He said an NDP government would leverage $5-billion in federal funding to benchmarks for care set under Canada Health Act.
His party proposes setting up a national task force to consult with stakeholders on what has worked during the pandemic and what has not. It would take long-term care provider Revera public immediately and all facilities within ten years by placing a moratorium on all private care beds.