Dear Editor: Much has been written lately on the plight of many seniors, including those living in government-supported facilities. There is a huge plate to be filled, and it has never been, nor ever will be, filled by charity and philanthropy. If charity and philanthropy were the answer, we would not be where we are today.
Our problems with age and poverty in general would not exist if our governments lived by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, overwhelmingly adopted in December of 1948, or by the United Nations Resolution of December 1991, laying out the Principles for Older Persons. Principle No. 17 states: “Older persons should be able to live in dignity and security and be free of exploitation and physical or mental abuse.”
Yet, a quarter to half a century later, we as a country have still not begun to live up to those high moral principles. There are 800,000 people in B.C. living in poverty. Over 170,000 are children and 100,000 are seniors, yet our provincial government to date is the only provincial government in Canada that lacks a poverty reduction program.
Bill Zander, New Westminster
