VICTORIA, B.C.: Brennan Day, MLA for Courtenay–Comox and Critic for Rural and Seniors Health, is calling out the provincial government for failing to convene the Select Standing Committee on Health since 2022, and is demanding they explain why. Day has given notice to introduce a motion to reconvene the committee, which is responsible for examining healthcare issues in British Columbia, including long-term care and seniors’ services.
“The Health Committee hasn’t met in four years,” said Day. “Not during a healthcare crisis. Not while ERs are closing. Not while 7,400 seniors are waiting for long-term care. That’s not a scheduling issue; that’s a decision.”
In British Columbia, the government controls whether standing committees are called to meet.
“They can call this committee tomorrow,” Day said. “Or they can explain to British Columbians why they won’t. I have been on this committee since February of 2025, and we have yet to meet; this is an insult to the millions of British Columbians struggling to access healthcare in British Columbia.”
The last time the committee undertook meaningful work on seniors’ care was in 2011, producing only an interim report in 2012, with no final recommendations. “Fifteen years ago, government was already studying the impact of an aging population,” said Day. “They saw this coming. And today, when the system is under real strain, they won’t even sit down and examine it.”
Day’s motion would direct the committee to investigate long-term care capacity, waitlists, and the growing gap between demand and available services, while also developing recommendations to improve transparency and system planning.
He says the refusal to convene the committee reflects a broader pattern of avoiding scrutiny on healthcare performance. “You can’t fix what you don’t measure,” said Day. “And right now, this government is choosing not to even look.”
Day added that if the government votes against or refuses to call the committee, British Columbians should draw their own conclusions. “If everything is working, there should be no hesitation to study it,” he said. “If they won’t even do that, people are going to start asking what they’re trying to hide.”
The proposed committee would report back to the Legislative Assembly by February 2027 with recommendations to address long-term care access, reduce hospital backlogs, and improve outcomes for seniors across the province.
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