Hon. Alice Wong, P.C.

On March 10, 2015, Alice Wong spoke in the House of Commons during Question Period on the topic of Seniors. The following is a transcript:

[Translation]

Mr. Massimo Pacetti (Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, Ind.):
Mr. Speaker, according to a study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, pension income splitting benefits the wealthiest seniors disproportionately.

Of the families that benefit from this tax break, only 10% of the wealthiest benefit fully, at a cost of $1.2 billion per year, while 70% of seniors enjoy no benefit at all from this measure. It is clear that the government has no plan whatsoever for seniors living below the poverty line in Canada.

When will the Minister of State for Seniors do something for seniors who really need help?

[English]

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to seniors’ poverty, our government has a record of which we can be proud. Canada has one of the lowest seniors’ poverty rates in the world thanks in part to our actions, which include removing thousands of seniors from the tax rolls completely, making significant investment in affordable housing for low-income seniors and introducing the largest GIS increase in a quarter century.

The other parties would take away the pension splitting for our seniors. That is something we will never allow to happen.

Filed under: Parliament