Last week the Campbell Liberals announced that there would be no fall sitting of the Legislature. The Liberals claim they have no reason to open the House as they have no legislation that needs to be passed. Carole James and the Opposition disagree. In previous sessions, a number of pieces of legislation were brought forward to address serious issues that the government has neglected, but there was no time to debate them.
One example is Carole James’ private members bill that would have established a Representative for Seniors, an independent office of the Legislature that would act as an advocate for seniors. But the Campbell government is not interested in protecting seniors; this is a piece of legislation that they are not interested in passing. The cancelling of the fall sitting ensures that the Representative for Seniors Act will not be debated.
The need for a Representative for Seniors became even more apparent this summer when the British Columbia Ombudsman announced that her office would be doing a formal investigation into seniors’ care in B.C. The Ombudsman, who is responsible for overseeing a vast range of organizations including provincial ministries, health authorities, Crown corporations, colleges, universities, school districts and municipalities is setting aside time for this specific issue proving just how important a designated office for seniors could be.
In the absence of a Representative for Seniors who would process complaints about seniors care, British Columbian seniors are being asked to tell their stories to the Ombudsman to be used as part of her investigation. Throughout my term as MLA, I have heard numerous stories from seniors in my area that I think the Ombudsman needs to hear.
I know that it is not always convenient to contact government offices in the Lower Mainland so I want to make it as easy as possible for seniors in Revelstoke to tell their stories. On Sept. 24, I will be holding a Seniors Tea. This will be a casual, drop-in event so that seniors and their families can visit with me, but staff will also be available to assist seniors in documenting their stories for the Ombudsman’s investigation.