JUST Committee Report

COMPLEMENTARY REPORT OF THE BLOC QUÉBÉCOIS

ON ELDER ABUSE

The Bloc Québécois considers that the issue of elder abuse and their living conditions in general is very important and that, especially in the context of COVID, isolation may have exacerbated this problem.

The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) recently studied the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on seniors. In light of the testimony before this committee, coupled with what we have heard, the picture is grim as to how we treat our seniors.

Issues relating to the well-being of seniors are very important and have long been brought forward by the Bloc Québécois. We were therefore enthusiastic about studying them in committee in order not only to educate all parliamentarians but also to try, in light of the various testimonies, to find solutions to present to the government.

However, as the Bloc Québécois has repeatedly said, social services offered to the population must be integrated into a coherent policy making it possible to study the problems in a global social context. Many issues are interrelated, and the search for solutions must be done considering the characteristics and social reality of the target population.

This is the main reason why we do not support parts of this report, prepared by the committee, mainly because they do not take into account the exclusive jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces in the management of health establishments or the specificity of the Quebec nation, in particular its collective choices and its policies, for example in matters of health care and social services.

Jurisdiction in matters of health

Paragraph 31 of the report should read as follows:

31. While health care is an area of shared jurisdiction in Canada, long-term care facilities are regulated by the provinces and territories, which can determine non-criminal sanctions, such as losing a licence to operate or incurring fines when they do not perform up to legislated provincial/territorial standards. The standards of care, enforcement measures, and public disclosure of violations vary significantly across the country.

However, the premise is false: health is under the jurisdiction of the provinces; it is not a shared jurisdiction. The federal government’s only responsibility is to approve patents, oversee Indigenous care and transfer funds to the provinces, which, incidentally, it does not do adequately.

In Canada, Quebec and the provinces administer health establishments and provide care and services to the population. Canada must not dictate to Quebec how it should conduct its affairs within its own legislative jurisdiction.

The education system

Some recommendations also encroach on the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces by speaking of the “education system.” Recommendation 7 of the final report recommends the use of the “education system” by the federal government, yet this system is managed by the provinces.

That the federal government, in consultation with the provinces, territories, and other relevant stakeholders, identify and support the best methods to raise public awareness of elder abuse and to encourage reporting and prevention, including through the education system.

Although we understand the objective, the federal government does not have to use the “education system” of Quebec and the provinces to raise awareness. The Quebec government already has initiatives in place from its Ministry of Health and Social Services.

Conclusion

The government must stop seeking to impose national strategies or pan-Canadian standards on the programs it puts in place. The Bloc Québécois is opposed to the federal government assuming the right to dictate to Quebec and the provinces what is good for their populations. This hierarchical vision of the Canadian federation is paternalistic and contrary to the principle of asymmetric federalism.

The Bloc Québécois intends to support the report of the Justice and Human Rights Committee on elder abuse tabled today, subject to the two dissenting opinions and corrections in this supplementary report.