FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2025
Stephenville Crossing, NL – Today, Premier John Hogan, KC, leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador, joined by Liberal Candidate for St. Georges – Humber, Mark Lamswood, announced new measures to support seniors across the Province.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s seniors helped build and shape our province, and they deserve to age well with the best economic, medical and social support we can provide. We know that seniors – particularly those living on a fixed income – have been hit hard by the increased cost of living, energy and medication.
To give our seniors greater financial peace of mind, we recently increased the benefit by 15%. We also indexed this benefit and the eligibility thresholds to the annual rate of inflation. This means 50,000 seniors will be better able to keep pace with the cost of living.
A re-elected Liberal Government will further increase the income thresholds for the Newfoundland and Labrador Seniors’ Benefit by 10%, so that even more people are eligible to receive it. This is in addition to many more recent actions to help seniors. We implemented a targeted Basic Income Program for eligible people aged 60 to 64, made the shingles vaccine available to all adults 50 years of age for free, and made driver medical exams free for people over 75.
Your Liberal team will also support seniors with access to government services through the creation of travelling Seniors Navigator Teams. These teams will travel around the province on a pre-published schedule to visit rural and remote communities, where they will set up a temporary service access point where seniors can seek guidance and assistance for provincial services in a stress-free, in-person environment without the need for computers or waiting on the phone. These Seniors Navigator Teams will help ensure seniors are receiving the benefits they are entitled to receive.
Many seniors want to remain in the comfort and familiarity of their own communities and homes, even when they require medical treatment. A re-elected Liberal Government will therefore double both the Aging Well at Home Grant from $400 to $800 per year, and the Caregiver Benefit from $400 to $800 per month. Seniors will get even more help with the costs associated with living longer at home, such as grocery and meal delivery, health care services, medication and prescription delivery, small home repairs and transportation. And caregivers will receive more money to help sustain the important support they provide.
We will also create an independent standalone monitoring and licensing body, to monitor Long Term Care and Personal Care Homes for compliance with operational standards, investigate complaints, and impose sanctions for non-compliance. This will ensure seniors receive consistent, quality care throughout the province.
As people age, they develop chronic and complex medical needs, and require care in their communities. While we have already made massive investments in our health care system to meet this demand, our planned health care investments such as new Mobile Primary Care Teams and more Family Care Teams will further ensure that seniors have timely access to the highest possible level of care.
A re-elected Liberal government will engage the Federal Government to negotiate a funding agreement to join the national pharmacare program. This in addition to the national dental program which is presently providing services to seniors in our province. We will also advocate to the Federal Government for increases to Old Age Security, the Canada Pension Plan, and other critical supports for our seniors.
These newly announced and increased supports will cost $13 million. With increased revenue resulting from the Churchill Falls MOU, a Liberal Government will be able to do even more for our seniors, to support their physical, mental and financial well-being.
With real momentum, energy and leadership, the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is embracing our province’s tremendous opportunities to deliver a stronger future for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Media Contact:
Ben Murphy
Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
Tel: 709-740-3156
E-mail: [email protected]