Grey Power advocates mobilizing seniors
From 28 Days | April 29, 2005

Seniors are the largest single group living below the poverty line in B.C. There are more than half a million of them in the province, they use the health-care system extensively and their perception of how it has or hasn't worked for them could have a big influence on the results.

British Columbia's seniors make up one third of the eligible voting population, and more than 60 per cent of them cast ballots in the last provincial election.

So now, seniors' advocacy groups across the province are attempting to harness that "grey power" during this election campaign.

Seniors' organizations have, for the first time, teamed with the B.C. Health Coalition to put together an election primer on seniors' issues – complete with "Questions to ask your local candidates" and "How to work with the media."

Sylvia McClay of the Council of Senior Citizens Organizations led a meeting about that in downtown Vancouver recently.

"The purpose of the meeting was to get people who belong to community organizations to become more aware of the facts around the health-care system and where things aren't going so well."

And she says seniors are becoming more engaged in the political process.

"I think if you went out into the ridings, you will see that seniors are very active and politicians should pay attention to grey power."

Meanwhile, Phil Lyons of the Seniors Network of B.C. recently set up an all-candidates forum to focus on seniors' issues.

"We don't say vote for this party or the other party. We say, 'Look at the issues, give it to the candidates, and once they're elected, hold their feet to the fire, and when they don't deliver make them pay,'" he says.

But it's not clear that all seniors are ready to make the politicians pay.

Ninety-year-old Rose Stapleford, who lives in an assisted living center just outside of Victoria, sees things very differently than the seniors' advocates.

"Around this complex, I've heard many people aren't voting this time, because they don't know how to vote," she says. "They're scared in case it goes back on you."

The seniors' advocates are trying to overcome feelings like that – getting seniors involved for the vote, and then trying to keep them involved afterward.

"The challenge for us is to get people active and out there, how to channel seniors energy, through their children, and to keep them active in issues after the election."