NDP Deputy Leader Mamakwa exposes Ford's dismal track record addressing home care disaster in North

QUEEN'S PARK - During Thursday's Question Period, Official Opposition Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa called out the Ford government for their dismal track record and out-of-touch policies that have failed to address the desperate need for home care services close to home in the north.

Howard Meshake of Sioux Lookout, one of Mamakwa's constituents, has struggled to navigate a badly broken healthcare system for the past five years. His wife Jeannie had a stroke in 2018, leaving her paralyzed and in need of 24-hour care. Despite Howard's plea to the pre-budget committee in 2020 and the government’s promise to help him access proper home care, Jeannie and Howard are still waiting.

"Ontarians have a right to home care, and the Ford government’s inactions are restricting this very right for people across the North. This government has sat idle while the healthcare crisis in Northern Ontario has reached its breaking point, and workers leave the system. They refuse to put anything back into retaining frontline staff and services so that families like Howard Meshake's can access home care like they were promised.

"People shouldn't have to fight for access to homecare in this province, and they certainly shouldn't have to quit their jobs to take care of family members because the Ford government refuses to invest in our public healthcare system.

“Why is this government not telling the truth to families and playing games with their health and well-being?"