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Supporting Canada’s Seniors
SUPPORTING CANADA’S SENIORS
Minister of State (Seniors) Alice Wong today will highlight that more than 680,000 of Canada’s lowest-income seniors will now benefit from the most significant increase to the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) in 25 years. The GIS increase is the latest measure the government has taken to support Canada’s seniors.
Since 2006 the government has provided over $2.3 billion in annual tax relief for seniors and pensioners, removed 380 000 seniors from the tax rolls completely, introduced pension income splitting, ushered in an automatic renewal of the GIS, made significant investments in affordable housing for low-income seniors and doubling the pension income credit.
As pledged in the Speech from the Throne, the government will also combat elder abuse in all its forms and raise awareness of this serious issue.
The Targeted Initiative for Older Workers has been extended, and mandatory retirement age for federally-regulated employees has been eliminated, giving seniors who want to remain active in the workforce the freedom to make that choice.
The government received a strong mandate from Canadians to improve seniors’ quality of life. Alice Wong is working hard to ensure that policies, programs and services continue to provide opportunities for seniors to improve their well-being and quality of life.