Charest promises more financial help for seniors and care givers

By Kevin Woodhouse, August 30th, 2012

Jean Charest was out in Dorval at Maison Herron Thursday morning, where he made a campaign stop at the seniors' residence along with Marquette Liberal candidate Francois Ouimet and Margaret Blais, former Minister for Seniors and candidate for Saint Henri-Sainte Anne to discuss the Liberals’ promise to improve the lives of seniors and caregivers.
Before speaking to the assembled media and guests in the seniors' home courtyard, Charest spent time with some of the residents including Father Emmett "Pops" Johns who began Dans La Rue, an organization created to help Montreal's homeless youth get a second chance and Madame Caron-Demers who, at the age of 104, told Charest that her success to longevity was to “always stay active” to which Charest quipped “and by voting Liberal.”
The leader of the provincial Liberal party spoke in French about the QLP's record for improving the financial network for health care and social services by 73 percent since 2003 and that the government has given three times more financial aid for caregivers and that $800 million has been earmarked for the next year as well as an additional $1,000 in tax breaks for those who care for the elderly.  For families who are thinking of having parents or grandparents live with them, they would also be eligible for $10,000 in loans to renovate their existing homes to begin multi-generational abodes.
Charest also lauded his government's certification program of seniors' residences and the fact that 35 percent more funding has been set aside for long term care since 2003 and that $2.7 billion will be set aside for the next five years to “allow us to improve home care and other resources for those with mobility issues,” Charest told the assembled.
He also spoke about the government's injection of over $70 million for the renovation of hospitals that had been “neglected for many years under previous governments.  It is important to honour those now who helped build Quebec.”
During the question and answer portion of the conference, reporters focused on other issues of the current campaign.  When asked if Ottawa is forgetting about Quebec, Charest said that his government had gotten results on issues like seeing Quebec as a nation and discussions about more transfer payments.  “I work with my allies but Pauline Marois and the PQ won't work with Ottawa as she sees them as enemies.”
When asked about the one-on-one debate between CAQ leader François Legault and the PQ's Marois, Charest noted that “it was like watching a political reality TV show.  We learned that Marois wants a referendum as soon as possible and Legault would be neutral.  So if he was asked by a customs agent what country he comes from, will his answer be that ‘I'm neutral?’ He needs to take part and not just be a spectator on the sidelines."
Another question Charest was asked was one that has been brought up before: is he and his party taking West Island anglophone voters for granted?  "We don't want to dismantle school boards and rather than divide people, we would rather focus on jobs.  Anyone sitting on the fence and are thinking of voting for the CAQ should listen to their candidate in the NDG riding, Angely Pacis, who wrote an open letter stating that the party's stance towards anglophone voters was vague and needed more clarification from Legault.n