Pizzino: Federal Retirees is acting now on ageism

November 30, 2022
Federal Retirees joins Canadian Coalition Against Ageism.
Together with 15 like-minded organizations, Federal Retirees has joined the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism to fight age discrimination in Canada and abroad.
 

On Nov. 30, the National Association of Federal Retirees partnered with the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism, along with 15 other organizations.

The Coalition’s raison d’être is to encourage the Canadian government and the United Nations (UN) to support recommendations from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Report on Ageism, including the one that recommends adopting a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons, and to work toward ending ageism.

“Older Canadians have had enough,” says Pizzino. “We need to call out ageism when we see it, and we need concerted government actions to support those efforts. We need a fundamental change in perspective to eliminate stereotypes of older persons being a weak, dependent and non-contributory part of society — and with the demographic change that’s already upon is, there’s no better time to address and put an end to ageism.”

Read Pizzino’s op-ed in the Ottawa Citizen to learn more about the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism and the Association’s perspectives on age discrimination.
 

About Ageism

Ageism manifests itself in the way one thinks, in the form of stereotypes; in the way one feels, in the form of prejudice; and in the way one acts, in the form of discrimination. How one experiences ageism and how it is directed is influenced by gender, race and orientation. It comes at us from many sources — marketing, television, movies, media of all forms, government policies, health-care delivery — and it can be implicit, explicit, institutional and personal.

A Canadian survey found that 63 per cent of older adults felt they had been treated unfairly based on their age. Younger people, health-care professionals, government policies and employers were the most identified sources of age discrimination.

One in three Canadians admits they have treated someone differently due to their age, and 89 per cent of those surveyed view aging negatively.

Have you experienced ageism? Let us know.