RTOERO’s submission to the 2025 Federal Budget 

As the Government of Canada prepares to table Budget 2025 this fall, RTOERO has submitted recommendations to both the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance and the Department of Finance Canada.  
 
Our submission outlines three overarching priorities: establishing a national seniors’ strategy, improving access to health care tailored to older adults, and championing environmental stewardship. To support these priorities, we’ve put forward seven specific recommendations to reflect the voices and needs of our members. 

August 1, 2025 
Re: RTOERO submission to the 2025 Federal Budget 

To the Department of Finance Canada & the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, 

Recommendations 

• Recommendation 1: Develop and implement a comprehensive national seniors’ strategy. 
   
• Recommendation 2: Support the creation of an independent national seniors’ advocate. 
   
• Recommendation 3: Modernize the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to ensure that individuals who choose to delay accessing their benefits remain eligible for a death benefit. 
   
• Recommendation 4: Direct the Canadian Mission to the United Nations to actively support the development of the UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. 
   
• Recommendation 5: Protect and expand the national pharmacare program, ensuring broader coverage for all Canadians.  
   
• Recommendation 6: Develop targeted climate adaptation programs that protect older adults, especially during climate-related disasters.  
   
• Recommendation 7: Ensure Bill C-5’s implementation includes transparent project criteria, robust public input, and upholds environmental protectionism and Indigenous rights. 

Introduction 

RTOERO (to be known as Entente Education Canada as of January 1, 2026) is pleased to submit this feedback to help inform the consideration of next federal budget. 

Since 1968, RTOERO has been a voice for teachers, school and board administrators, educational support staff and college and university faculty in their retirement. Our mission: improve the lives of our 87,000+ members across Canada and Canadian seniors overall. 

Our organizational values – especially community service, advocacy, inclusion and environmental stewardship – are shared widely by those who call Canada home. As we bring these ideals to life in our programs and services, we’re proudly Canadian from our prioritizing Canadian suppliers to promoting Canadian travel to our members. 

The three priorities described here – establishing a comprehensive national seniors strategy, improving access to health care tailored to the needs of older adults, and championing environmental stewardship – support a healthier quality of life for aging Canadians.  

We applaud the recent appointment of a federal Secretary of State for Seniors. Canada needs more voices that speak up on the many issues facing older adults. We also recognize the importance of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for Seniors Forum, and the three new national priorities identified for 2025–2028. These align with RTOERO’s focus areas. RTOERO welcomes more opportunities for stakeholder input into the FPT Forum’s work 

As the government formulates its next budget, advancing the priorities we describe here promise to enhance well-being and strengthen communities. 

Establishing a comprehensive national seniors strategy 

Seniors are Canada’s fastest growing demographic (almost one-fifth of the population), and the population of those aged 85 and older is growing even faster. Gaps in health and social policies restrict seniors’ independence, and their participation in healthy communities across Canada.  

Canada needs a coordinated, national action-oriented seniors strategy. It should have dedicated funding, bold targets, clear national standards and performance measures, and robust accountabilities. 

The right strategy can spur progress around the following key issues. 

• Guaranteed basic income – While the official poverty rate for Canadians 65 and older is 6%, the actual number of Canadians in that demographic are living in “poverty-level conditions” could be as high as 14% according to a 2025 survey by the National Institute on Ageing and Environics.¹ 

• Health-care rights need to consider health in mind, body and spirit. With expert collaboration, we can find solutions to address challenges like physical illnesses, disabilities, social isolation, loneliness and elder abuse. 

• Ageism include stereotypes, prejudices or discrimination based on age. Beyond interpersonal bias (how we think about, speak to or treat each other), institutional ageism (laws, policies, social norms) restrict opportunities and disadvantage people. Ageism is a widespread and can lead to: 
  
  • worse mental health; 
  • lesser access to and quality of medical treatment; 
  • unhealthy eating and drinking habits; 
  • not taking medications as prescribed; 
  • poorer sexual health; 
  • accelerated cognitive impairment;  
  • loneliness; and  
  • increased violence and abuse. 

• Social isolation. Meaningful connections keep us engaged and socially active. In contrast, social isolation affects emotional, mental and physical health. The risk is heightened when people retire, lose a spouse, or experience decreased mobility or cognitive decline. Upwards of 30% of seniors are in danger of becoming socially isolated.² 

• Aging at home. Most seniors want this, but health, finances, transportation and safety considerations can derail that dream. In Canada, health care dollars are skewed towards institutional care. We spend significantly less on home and community care than the OECD average.³  

Alongside a national seniors strategy, the government could implement a national seniors advocate – something that four provinces have already done. Such an independent role and office can help ensure that the interests of seniors are considered and advanced in public policy decisions. We’ve seen success in other areas that can serve as a model, such as the Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada. 

RTOERO’s calls for a domestic seniors strategy align with the movement towards an international legal framework to protect the economic, social, civil, cultural and political rights of older persons.  

Earlier this year, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution to create a working group to draft a legally-binding Convention on the Rights of Older Persons . We urge the Canadian government to take decisive steps toward leading and supporting the Convention. Such a framework is an essential component of dismantling systemic ageism and ensuring a more just society for all Canadians as they age. 

Improve access to health care tailored to the needs of older adults 

In Canada, the population is aging. Our health systems were built to deal with acute care, not with the chronic needs of seniors. Hospital-based models neglect home and community care.  

The government should seek more ways to support health standards for older adults in a holistic and integrated way. Services and policies for seniors often focus on physical health. Healthy aging also encompasses active lifestyles, social inclusion, mental health, age-friendly communities and coping with change.  

We need to evaluate how older adults are faring across all wellness dimensions, and provide resources/programs to support that. Health care standards must govern aging concerns along the pipeline and all networks within it.  

Universal public pharmacare would significantly improve health care and reduce downstream costs. Canada is the only country with universal health care that lacks universal drug coverage. Pharmacare has rolled out for contraceptives and diabetes drugs. We commend the federal government for establishing this much-needed program, and for reaching initial agreements with Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and the Yukon. 

To fully realize its potential, the program must expand to include a wider range of essential medications, and be safeguarded against future rollbacks. Canadians pay among the highest prices for prescription drugs. Ten per cent of citizens lack adequate coverage; one in four households can’t afford prescriptions. Seniors, who are among the highest users of prescription drugs, are particularly vulnerable to gaps in coverage. Expanding pharmacare to improve on the patchwork of public drug benefits is critical to reducing financial hardship, improving health outcomes and promoting health equity. 

Canada also faces a shortage of geriatricians. We only have about 375 (one for every 20,000 seniors).⁴ That’s unacceptable if our senior population is to age with dignity and receive the best health care. 

We want to see special post-graduate programs and diplomas to help create careers in geriatrics for health care and psychosocial service workers. While governments aim to attract more family doctors, a broader pool of geriatricians will also play a vital role in helping older adults remain healthy and independent for as long as possible.  

Moreover, basic education and training relevant to geriatrics and gerontology should be essential in any health care or psychosocial program. The availability of appropriate health, social and community care providers supports healthy aging. 

So does increased awareness of and services to address elder abuse. Up to 10% of seniors experience some form of physical, psychological, emotional or financial abuse annually. Still, the resources available to prevent abuse and help victims remain lacking. 

The number of seniors and longer lifespans are also creating pressures on long-term care. Across Canada, we’ve fallen short in supporting residents of LTC homes. These facilities have been understaffed, unprepared, underprotected and underserviced. Their personnel have been underpaid and underskilled. 

We need a national plan for LTC homes, one with enforceable standards and accountability, as well as a transition to a not-for-profit long-term care home model. 

Championing environmental stewardship 

RTOERO takes our responsibility for stewardship seriously. In 2024 and recently in 2025 for the second time, we received ISO certification for environmental sustainability. We’ve also launched a new district volunteer position of Environmental Coordinator. We need to maintain the viability of our ecosystems for future generations.  

No one is immune to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. But certain groups, like seniors, are hit harder by heatwaves, wildfires and floods due to health vulnerabilities, mobility challenges and social isolation.  

Government leadership is needed to ensure that emergency planning, response systems and community resilience programs are designed with the needs of older adults in mind. 
 
More broadly, we’ll benefit from increasing government action in these critical areas. 

• Environmentally-sustainable transportation. Transportation accounts for about 25% of Canada’s carbon emissions.⁵ As the population and economy grow, so do the vehicles on our roads. We urge the government to accelerate programs and incentives for greener transportation (private vehicles and public transit). 

• Plastic pollution and recycling standards. Only 7% of the 5 million tonnes of plastic waste that Canadians discard every year is recycled.⁶ Most ends up in landfills or our natural environment. Plastic bans and updated recycling collection systems make a difference, though inconsistent practices remain a challenge. One hurdle is the lack of a harmonized approach across jurisdictions. We need to take a comprehensive approach to manage the entire life cycle of plastics. 

• Safeguarding the water supply and drinking water. Our freshwater resources are a national treasure. Pollution and misuse threaten that. Changes in legislation and business practices both have a role in protecting our freshwater. Meanwhile, while urban centres enjoy access to clean water, First Nations often face drinking water advisories. We call on the federal government to fulfill its responsibility to our First Nations communities. 

RTOERO is also concerned about the recent (and swift) passage of Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, specifically how it may weaken the Impact Assessment Act by allowing mega projects to be fast-tracked with minimal review. This raises the potential of projects that could harm sensitive ecosystems, endangered species or Indigenous communities.  

We call for transparent definitions for what qualifies as projects deemed to be of “national interest” or “nation-building”. Projects should also be subject to sufficient public input and review before proceeding and should recognize (and not infringe upon) Indigenous and First Nations environmental rights and protections. 
 
Sincerely, 

John Cappelletti, Chair of the Board 

Jim Grieve, CEO