Manitobans will head to the polls by Oct. 3. Let’s make the most of this opportunity to create a healthier future for aging in Manitoba.
Manitobans will head to the polls by Oct. 3. During this election, Federal Retirees is calling on the province’s next government to improve older adult care and create a healthier future for aging in Manitoba.
This work is more important now than ever before. In Manitoba, over 17 per cent of the population, or more than 229,000 Manitobans, are already over age 65. The share of Manitoba’s population aged 65 or older is projected to continue to increase through 2036.
Manitoba needs a plan for its health-care system and the future of its citizens. It’s time for a plan that delivers an independent and effective seniors advocate, who can oversee the implementation of the Manitoba seniors strategy and evaluate its progress. It’s time for a plan that improves access to care and ensures Manitobans’ incomes keep up with inflation.
Older adults deserve dignity — and it’s time to create a healthier future for aging in Manitoba.
This provincial election is our chance to do that.
Key messages
During this election, Federal Retirees is calling for Manitoba’s next provincial government to:
- Appoint an independent and effective seniors advocate for the province of Manitoba.
- Implement — and evaluate the progress of — the recently announced Manitoba seniors strategy.
- Improve access to care, by ensuring funding and services to enable aging in place, including access to publicly funded home care, access to local care providers and improved wait times for care.
- Ensure Manitobans’ incomes keep up with cost-of-living increases by protecting and encouraging more defined benefit pension plans.
Manitoba’s next government must commit to appointing an effective, independent seniors advocate. Appointing an independent seniors advocate who reports to the legislature will ensure crucial support to seniors and their families.
Implement the Manitoba seniors strategy
In collaboration with partners, the next government must implement the 2023 provincial seniors strategy. This includes measuring outcomes and publicly reporting on performance to fully realize the goal of making Manitoba a great place to age.
Invest in public health care — and improve access to care
Manitoba’s next government must invest in the continuum of care, from primary to home to long-term care, address surgical wait times in the public health-care system and ensure Manitoba's personal care home standards are reviewed and enforced.
Ensure Manitobans’ incomes keep up with cost-of-living increases
The next government must ensure Manitobans’ incomes keep up with cost-of-living increases by protecting and encouraging more defined benefit pension plans. Life is becoming unaffordable. The next government must take on measures that will make it easier for Manitobans to make ends meet.
Reach every election candidate
There are plenty of ways to get involved in this election, and Federal Retirees is making it easy.
Meet with candidates
You never know when you might get a chance to ask candidates or their campaigners about their positions on the issues most important to older adults in Manitoba. Keep our election toolkit handy as a quick reminder of facts and questions to ask when connecting with candidates and their campaign officials.
Our election toolkit can be used when you meet with candidates in-person or virtually, host a candidate town hall or pose questions during a community meeting.
Many Federal Retirees branches in Manitoba are holding election town halls with local candidates. Contact your local branch to find out how to attend.
Download your copy of the 2023 Manitoba election toolkit.
Send a letter to your candidates
This easy-to-use tool helps you send a letter to candidates in your riding with just a few simple steps! Enter your address to find your candidates. Then, review our pre-written letter (or make edits of your own) and click “send.” It‘s that easy!
Send a message to your candidates today with our easy-to-use online tool:
Note: This letter will be sent to the Manitoba provincial election candidates in your riding.
Send a letter to the editor of your local news
Letters to the editor are a great way to highlight your concerns with the public and generate discussions about important election issues.
You may customize the letter to make additions of your own, including what these issues mean to you (keeping it respectful, factual and concise). You may also copy the text, paste it into a document on your computer and submit it electronically to your local newspaper by email or through newspaper websites.
Send a letter to the editor of your local news publications with our easy-to-use online tool:
Have questions about our 2023 Manitoba election advocacy campaign? Wondering how you can get involved? Write to advocacyteam@federalretirees.ca to connect with Federal Retirees’ advocacy team.
For more information about the Manitoba election — including when and how to vote — visit Elections Manitoba.