Gates: Ontario’s seniors deserve better than four Long-Term care ministers in five years

NIAGARA FALLS – MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls), NDP Critic for Long-term Care, made the following statement regarding the appointment of Stan Cho as Minister of Long-term Care:

“This is now Ford’s fourth Minister of Long-Term Care in almost as many years. Seniors in long-term care are incredibly important, but the way Ford passes the LTC file around like a hot potato shows they are just not his priority. With this cabinet shuffle, Ford is rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship.

We need a government that is working pro-actively to prioritize seniors’ care, not one that expands a private, for-profit system that is failing residents. We must address our shortage of staffing and lack of beds and we must do it through a public system that puts care, dignity, and empathy first—not profits. I wish the new Minister luck in this file – maybe he can finally succeed where his successors failed. Seniors in this province deserve so much better.”

QUICK FACTS

• In 1998, the Mike Harris Conservatives were the first to privatize long-term care, paving the way for the current crisis in long-term care
• Previous LTC Ministers under Doug Ford are:
  • Merilee Fullerton (2019-2021)
  • Rod Phillips (2021-2022)
  • Paul Calandra (2022-2023)
• Fullerton oversaw the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on LTC, where we saw nearly 6,000 heartbreaking resident deaths in LTC
• Paul Calandra will now take over the Municipal Affairs and Housing file, attempting damage control for disgraced former Minister Steve Clark.