What is this organization? Who are they? What do they do for you?

ACER-CART What is this organization? Who are they? What do they do for you?

Joan Zaretsky, RTAM Vice President

Prior to being elected as the Vice-President of RTAM, I can honestly say that I did not know what the acronym ACER-CART represented and their relationship to RTAM. As the VicePresident, I was expected to attend the ACER-CART Annual General Meeting on June 2-3, 2022, held in Ottawa. I was not sure what to expect until I started preparing for the meeting.

I came to understand that the ACER part of the acronym represents the French language version – Association Canadienne des Enseignantes and des Enseignants Retraites. The CART stands for the Canadian Association of Retired Teachers. I was surprised to find out we had a national organization. After having attended the AGM, I have learned some facts which I will outline below: • As RTAM members, you each contribute .30/year to support this organization. Yes, that is 30 cents per year! It comes from our TRAF funds and goes directly to the CART organization.

• As of 2021-22, there was 163,964 retired teachers in Canada, who contributed $48,342.30, which comprised the annual budgetary funds.

• There is an Executive and Board of Directors, just like all retired teachers’ organizations, which work hard to support a number of national priorities which are re-affirmed annually at their AGM.

• The limited funding which they have available affects the scope of the work possible by the Executive and Directors. I believe this is a significant reason why I had not heard of them nor did I realize we had such a dedicated organization promoting national priorities on our behalf.

At the Annual General Meeting, Dave Najduch attended as an Observer and I as the RTAM Director. Prior to the ACER-CART meeting, we had collaborated with our newly elected RTAM Executive and the ACER-CART President to craft the following Resolution which we presented:

Proposed by: Joan Zaretsky Seconded by: Dave Najduch

Be it resolved that the ACER-CART Executive develop a three year plan which includes lobbying objectives, member services, and communication strategies. This plan will include appropriate budget allocations and recommend fees to be collected. The plan will be presented for approval to the 2023 Annual General Meeting.

Rationale:

• At this year’s RTAM AGM, concerns were informally raised related to the annual budget of ACER-CART, the services provided and the fees collected. The primary concern revolved around a national organization operating on an annual budget of well less than $100,000 per year while representing over 160,000 retired teachers.

The current ACER-CART fee is just .30 cents per member.

• At a subsequent meeting with Gerry Tiede, it was revealed that ACER-CART receives additional funding in the form of donations but these are offered inconsistently and prevent the introduction of programs and services for members requiring annual funding. After much discussion, the above motion was drafted by the

RTAM Executive and Committee members for

Dave and myself to take forward to the ACER-

CART AGM.

• The motion is intended to provide ACER-CART with: à Time: One year for the Executive to develop a set of clear goals and objectives for this national organization. à A budget that will fund those goals and objectives. à A fee that each ACER-CART member will be asked to pay to ensure those goals and objectives can be reached. à A three year plan that will be presented for approval at the 2023 ACER-CART AGM.

The motion was referred to the ACER-CART Executive, which offered them an opportunity and the time needed to envision what they need to do and want to do in the upcoming three years with a budgetary projection as to how much this will cost per member. The motion passed with a vote count of 11 in favour and 3 opposed. We look forward to the Executive’s presentation next year as to how they can better accommodate the needs and issues of retired teachers with some additional funds to support their endeavours. All of their Priorities listed below will benefit each and every one of us and we believe that with some more stable funding, ACER-CART will be better prepared to have a presence at the tables where these national issues are discussed and decisions made.

ACER-CART Priorities 2022-23

ACER-CART will, in collaboration with like-minded organizations,

a) Advocate for the development and implementation of a National Seniors Strategy.

b) Monitor the federal government’s implementation of a national universal pharmacare program, including the establishment of a Canada Drug Agency and implementation of a national formulary.

c) Monitor the Canada Health Act and the bilateral health funding agreements with the provinces and territories.

d) Advocate for a health care system that prioritizes care in seniors’ own homes for as long as possible.

e) Advocate for regulations governing Retirement and Long-Term Care Homes with emphasis on improving patient respect, working conditions, training and staff wages.

f) Advocate for an appointed independent Senior spokesperson for each province and territory.

g) Advocate for a Charter of Rights for older adults/seniors.

ACER-CART will advocate for the protection of all retiree pensions, with emphasis on the preservation and enhancement of defined benefit pension plans.

ACER-CART will attempt to continue elevating the profile of our National Association in our provincial associations and at all levels of government and beyond. 