April 16th, 2020

Del Duca’s call to limit inquiry is wrong: NDP

SUDBURY — NDP Health critic France Gélinas said Steven Del Duca’s request to limit the inquiry into long-term care to the COVID-19 outbreaks is self-serving, since he knows the problems in long-term care started well before that.

“There is a reason Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca wants the inquiry into long-term care limited to the last few weeks,” said Gélinas. “He’s hoping to avoid criticism of the years his government underfunded and neglected long-term care, allowing wait lists to balloon and quality of care to suffer, laying the groundwork for the crisis we face today.

“Del Duca and the Liberals blocked the call for a broad independent inquiry into the unfolding crisis in long-term care two years. No surprise they are trying to avoid one again.”

  • The wait list for long-term care grew from 19,000 in 2011-12 to nearly 35,000 in 2018-19, putting wait times up to a median of 152 days.
  • From 2011-12 to 2018-19, the growth of new long-term care beds (0.8% growth) did not keep in pace with growth of Ontarians over age 75 (20% growth).
  • Between 2011 and 2018, the government added only 611 beds, to 78,664 from 78,053.