SummarySpren for "C-295, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (neglect of vulnerable adults)"
- • Bill C-295 would create a specific offence in the Criminal Code for neglect of vulnerable adults in long-term care facilities, and allow the court to consider the failure of facilities to provide necessities of life as an aggravating factor in sentencing.
• The bill is a step in the right direction, but the NDP caucus believes it does not go far enough, and they expect the government to follow through on a promise to table a comprehensive safe long-term care act to ensure that all Canadians have access to dignified care for their loved ones.
- • The Bloc Québécois will vote in favor of Bill C-295, which amends the Criminal Code to create offenses for failing to ensure the necessities of life in long-term care facilities, but the party believes the federal government should focus on increasing health transfers to the provinces and respecting provincial jurisdiction in health care.
• The bill adds two definitions to the Criminal Code: "long-term care facility" and "officer," and creates criminal offenses for failing to ensure the necessities of life in these facilities. The Bloc Québécois supported amendments to replace the definition of "manager" with "officer" and to consider penalties under provincial legislation on elder abuse.
- • Bill C-295 aims to better protect vulnerable adults in long-term care facilities by holding owners and officers accountable for ensuring they receive the necessities of life, such as food, lodging, and care.
• The bill would specifically place responsibility on owners and officers who fail to ensure the necessities of life are provided to residents, with a maximum sentence of four years in this case.
- • The speaker's grandmother passed away due to neglect in a long-term care facility during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he believes that the bill before the House (Bill C-295) is necessary to protect vulnerable seniors in similar situations.
• The speaker supports the intention of the bill because it addresses a big fear that many children have for their parents: whether they will be protected and their human dignity upheld when they cannot be with them and have to entrust their care to strangers at medical facilities.
- • The Bloc Québécois will vote in favour of Bill C-295, but with the expectation that it will be improved in committee to ensure that it actually helps provinces and Quebec protect their seniors, rather than simply adding criminal offenses to the Criminal Code without considering the long-term consequences.
• The Bloc Québécois proposed two amendments to the bill, one to replace the concept of "manager" with "officer" and the other to require judges to take the laws of Quebec and the provinces into account. The first amendment aims to ensure that the bill applies to the people who run long-term care facilities, rather than the workers, and the second amendment ensures that judges consider provincial laws when imposing prohibition orders.
- • The bill is a good first step in protecting the rights of residents in long-term care facilities, but it does not go far enough in addressing their emotional and mental well-being needs.
• The government should consider a thorough review of long-term care facilities and policies to address not only the basic needs of residents but also their mental health and emotional support needs.
- • The speaker is supporting Bill C-295, which would create an offence for long-term care facilities that fail to provide the necessities of life to their residents.
• The speaker believes that it is society's responsibility to ensure that individuals who have given their entire lives to building the country are protected and taken care of, especially in their most vulnerable state.