Quebec’s action on behalf of seniors deemed insufficient: survey

A seniors' home is photographed in Laval, Que. (Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press) (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Five years after the onset of the pandemic that decimated and killed a generation of seniors, barely a quarter of Quebecers are satisfied with the government’s action on behalf of seniors.

These are the findings of a Segma survey conducted on behalf of the Coalition for the Dignity of Seniors and obtained by The Canadian Press.

The data was collected in late December and early January, but has just been made public on the anniversary of the first lockdown, five years ago, in 2020.

No less than 68.2 per cent of those surveyed consider government action in favour of seniors to be unsatisfactory. Of these respondents, a quarter (24.1 per cent) considered it very unsatisfactory.

With less than two weeks to go before the tabling of what is likely to be a difficult budget, the CAQ government has received both an unfavourable report card and a clear message in favour of reinvestment.

In fact, respondents gave overwhelming support to three proposed measures to improve conditions for seniors.

A total of 89.9 per cent favoured tax measures and financial assistance to guarantee a sustainable income for seniors.

Similarly, 88 per cent were in favour of controlling rent increases to keep housing affordable for seniors.

Finally, 90.3 per cent are in favour of financial support for seniors to enable them to remain in seniors' residences offering health care.

Finally, respondents were critical of Santé Québec, the new agency coordinating the delivery of health care.

Less than a third (32.8 per cent) believe it will improve care for the elderly.

The survey was carried out online with 841 respondents, from Dec. 16, 2024 to Jan. 2, 2025. It was weighted to be representative of the Quebec population in terms of gender, age, region and education.

A margin of error cannot be calculated, as this is a sample drawn from a web survey, but by way of comparison, a probability sample of the same size would have a maximum margin of error of 3.4 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Last year, the coalition, which brings together several organizations representing seniors, organized a summit on homecare.

At the end of the summit, it called for CLSCs to be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as the main point of entry for seniors requiring homecare services.

Home support services range from domestic help to babysitting, breakdown services, nutrition, family chores, personal care and more.

At present, only a minority of seniors have full access to all the homecare services they require, and the Health and Welfare Commissioner has concluded that the current system’s record is “worrying” as it meets only 10.7 per cent of the need for hours of support.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 13, 2025.