Today I rise to speak on behalf of my constituents in London–Fanshawe affected by the shortage of available beds for long-term care. My office recently received a heart-wrenching story of a family separated by the inadequacies in our long-term-care system. Lorraine has been struggling to make an hour-long drive to see her mother, Bernice, at her long-term-care home in Stratford, Ontario. Bernice has waited more than 1,300 days to transfer to a London home to be closer to her family. This is deplorable. Families deserve and need to be closer to loved ones in their final years.

The Ontario Long Term Care Association reports that nearly 40,000 people are on a waiting list for long-term care in Ontario and predicts that it could increase to about 48,000 by 2029. Keep in mind, this is a projection that takes into account the 30,000 long-term-care beds the government has already promised. The Financial Accountability Office estimates that the current government will only deliver 8,251 long-term-care beds by the end of 2023-24, well short of the promise to add 15,000 long-term-care beds by that time.

Bernice has been waiting more than three and a half years to move into a long-term-care home closer to her family. Now, it’s too late. Given her deteriorating health, a transfer to a long-term-care home is unlikely. Her next move is more likely to be in palliative care.

How can this government justify their inaction while families spend their final years separated from one another? We need to make investments in not-for-profit homes, and make sure staff and resources are there for people when they need them in their time of most need.