By MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
In the past I’ve spoken about the monopoly on a good idea as it relates to business at Queen’s Park. There are many bad ideas that go around at the pink palace, but there are many good ones that you rarely hear about because they come from the “wrong people” or, shall I say, non-government members. As a result, no matter how good the idea, it is voted down almost immediately.
In that spirit, I want to raise a concern regarding the PC government’s turning a blind eye to NDP MPP Catherine Fife’s Till Death Do Us Part legislation.
MPP Fife’s legislation, if passed, would enable senior couples to remain together in long-term care homes and not suffer through emotionally and psychologically destructive separations. Here it is from the actual document:
“Every resident who requires care and is admitted to the home to receive that care has the right upon admission not to be separated from their spouse and to have appropriate accommodation made available for both spouses to live together in the home.”
Sounds like an excellent idea to me. I know many loving couples in their golden years in the long-term care system who would be heartbroken if they were separated. Loneliness and depression are devastating, and Fife’s legislation is an easy fix.
But guess what, her legislation passed second reading in the Ontario Legislature in November 2022, and it was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy for discussion, scrutiny, and testimony. And there it sits.
As I write this, it has been stalled in the Committee for over 680 days by the PC government. Good legislation like this should not be sitting on the shelf collecting dust. Social Policy Committee should be all over this listening to the professionals, offering their assessments and weighing the feasibility of implementation. Also, they can be listening to real-life accounts of those who have been forced to live apart in these situations.
Catherine Fife has reached out to the PC government in the spirit of inter-party kinship to work toward this universally-beneficial end, but no dice.
As she put it, “I invited all PC MPPs in Waterloo Region to (a) meeting to discuss solutions on this incredibly important legislation. Unfortunately, none of them even showed up. I urge them to take the time to speak to seniors like Jim McLeod, who will have been living apart from his wife Joan for six years this September. It’s impossible to hear his story and not care deeply about finding solutions to this heartbreaking situation that many seniors face in our long-term care system.”
Again, it frustrates me when government partisanship slows down legislation that is good for Ontarians. I know that there are PC government MPPs who would happily support this legislation if their overlords would let them. But clearly this one comes from the wrong side of the Chamber. I wish they would adhere to my belief that no party has a monopoly on a good idea and support solid ideas despite their political party of origin. Obstacles like this can and should be removed from our political landscape and I will continue to push that idea.
Meanwhile, beyond this column, I will do what I can to support MPP Fife’s legislation via social media and at Queen’s Park, which resumes October 21st.
It’s nice to see people still believe in till death do us part, I know I do; I hope the PC government will hear from the people of Ontario and move this bill forward.
Bobbi Ann Brady is the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk