Hon. Alice Wong, P.C.

On December 5, 2011, Alice Wong answered a question about seniors during question period. The following is a transcript:

Ms. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, seniors have paid their dues to our country but the government demonstrates over and over again that seniors just are not a priority.

Fortunately, the NDP is listening to seniors. We held a round table discussion this morning to hear first-hand about the challenges seniors face. That is in contrast to the government’s attitude of ignoring seniors’ needs for affordable housing, pension security and pharmacare.

Why does the government refuse to allow our seniors to age with dignity?

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, Canadians gave us a strong mandate to continue doing more for seniors than any other government. It was our government that introduced pension income splitting, lower taxes for seniors, increased funding for elder abuse awareness and provided the largest GIS increase in a quarter century. What did the opposition members do? They voted against all of these measures.

On December 1, 2011, Alice Wong answered a question about seniors during question period. The following is a transcript:

[Translation]

Ms. Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe (Pierrefonds—Dollard, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, the government keeps going on and on about what it has already done in order to justify turning its back on seniors in desperate need.

Figures from the task force on financial literacy completely contradict what the Parliamentary Secretary just said. Every year, $1 billion in old age security benefits goes unclaimed. Furthermore, 70% of seniors who do not receive benefits have an income of less than $10,000. They are spending their golden years in poverty.

Is the government trying to save money at the expense of seniors, by refusing to pay them their pensions?

[English]

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, our government continues to take strong action to support seniors. Since 2006, our government has provided billions in annual tax relief for seniors and pensioners, removed hundreds of thousands of seniors from the tax roll completely, introduced the largest GIS increase in a quarter century, and made significant investment in affordable housing for low-income seniors.

What did the opposition do? It voted against all of these measures.

On November 1, 2011, Alice Wong answered two questions about seniors during question period. The following is a transcript:

Ms. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, the guaranteed income supplement was put in place 40 years ago to address seniors’ poverty in Canada, but because of the government’s failure to keep up with the times, seniors are falling behind. Costs are rising on everything from food to home heating. Once again, seniors are being left out in the cold. We learned today that the number of seniors using food banks has escalated over the past decade.

What is the government’s plan to help impoverished Canadian seniors?

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, I will take no lesson from an opposition party which has voted against all of our measures to help seniors. Canada’s seniors have–

Some hon. members: Hear, hear!

The Speaker:
Order. The hon. Minister of State has the floor.

Hon. Alice Wong:
Mr. Speaker, I will take no lesson from the opposition party which has voted against all of our measures on behalf of seniors.

Ms. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, of course we voted against it because the government’s so-called plan left too many seniors at the food banks’ doors.

We could act on seniors’ poverty right now. New Democrats have put forward a practical, affordable plan to increase the GIS and lift every senior in this country out of poverty. We have the blueprint. All the government has to do is act.

Could the government explain its inaction on seniors’ poverty?

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, Canadian retirement security is a priority of the government. That is why our government continues to take strong action to support seniors. Since 2006 the government has provided billions in annual tax relief for seniors and pensioners, removed hundreds of thousands of seniors from the tax rolls completely, introduced the largest GIS increase in a quarter century and made significant investments in affordable housing for low income seniors.

On October 17, 2011, Alice Wong answered a question during question period about Seniors. The following is a transcript:

Ms. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, a new report by TD Bank shows that seniors in Canada are accumulating debt at a rate faster than other Canadians. With the rising cost of food, home heating, and day to day expenses, seniors are struggling to make ends meet. Seniors built this country and deserve to retire with dignity. We need pension reform, long-term care, and affordable home care.

When will the government finally take action and ensure a secure retirement for all seniors?

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, Canada’s seniors have worked hard to build a better country and our government believes they deserve a secure and dignified retirement. That is why we are providing the largest GIS increase in a quarter century to the lowest income seniors who need it the most. Also, 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, and introduced pension income splitting.

We have also made significant advances in affordable housing–

On October 3, 2011 Alice Wong spoke on the subject of Seniors in the House of Commons. The following is a transcript:

Ms. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, on Seniors Day, the government boasted about tax measures that would help seniors. The reality is that over 0.25 million–

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

The Speaker:
Order, please. The hon. member for London—Fanshawe.

Ms. Irene Mathyssen:
Mr. Speaker, I am glad to see they are so busy patting themselves on the back but with over 0.25 million seniors living in poverty, tax measures are not the solution. Many seniors are so poor they do not even pay taxes.

When will the minister take action to address the real problems facing our seniors by boosting access to home care, eliminating seniors poverty and supporting caregivers?

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, our government was given a strong mandate. It is doing more for seniors than under any other government. It was our government that introduced pension income splitting and doubled the pension income credit. We lowered taxes and removed 380,000 seniors from the tax rolls completely. We also raised the guaranteed income supplement exemption, putting more money in the pockets of 1.6 million more seniors. What did the opposition do? It voted against all of these measures.

On September 29, 2011 Alice Wong spoke on the subject of Seniors in the House of Commons. The following is a transcript:

Mrs. Stella Ambler (Mississauga South, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, it is important to celebrate what Canadian seniors have done and continue to do for our country. They deserve our gratitude and recognition. That is why the House passed a bill last year to officially establish October 1 as National Seniors Day.

Would the hon. Minister of State for Seniors tell the House what the government has done and continues to do to help seniors?

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, on October 1 we will recognize the many contributions seniors have made as leaders in strengthening our families and communities.

Our government has a strong record of action to improve the quality of life of seniors, including additional funding for seniors programs and the largest increase in the GIS in a quarter century.

Together let us recognize the many seniors who give so generously of themselves to make this the best country in the world.

The following is a transcript of Alice Wong’s participation in the question and comments portion of the June 23, 2011 debates regarding Bill C-6, An Act to provide for the resumption and continuation of postal services. Although the official date in the House of Commons was June 23, 2011, this comment was made on the 49th hour after debate started (which means it was delivered approximately 11:00am, June 25, 2011):

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Madam Speaker, I would like to comment on the presentation by the hon. member.

I have already heard from a lot of seniors in my riding who are feeling really depressed because we have not solved this and because we are still talking and talking and talking, without taking any real action, because the opposition is stalling everything.

We all understand that this work stoppage of Canada Post is already directly affecting the lives of many people, including seniors in my riding. Young people are waiting to get their student visas extended, and a lot of low-income seniors and other residents need their cheques, as well as all the other convenience of the mail.

Why is the member opposite not cooperating with the government to pass this important legislation? We need to make sure that both sides get back to the table so that the workers can resume their duties in service of the general public.

This is the time when they really should get back to work, instead of politicking.

On June 20, 2011, the House of Commons had an opposition day where they were debating the following motion (moved by Ms. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP)):

That, in the opinion of this House, ending seniors’ poverty in Canada is fiscally feasible, and, therefore, the House calls on the government to take immediate steps to increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement sufficiently to achieve that goal.

Alice Wong made the following speech in the House of Commons and also gave two responses for the “questions and comments” period after her speech:

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, I will address the issue raised by the hon. member of London—Fanshawe in regard to ending seniors’ poverty.

As the hon. Minister of State for seniors, I am pleased to say that we have already taken action to address this serious issue in budget 2011. That is why we will support this motion today.

The hon. member suggests that we increase the guaranteed income supplement. We have increased the guaranteed income supplement in budget 2011, which we tabled earlier this month.

I would also like to correct the member on some other facts.

With the strong mandate the Canadians have given us, we are using the next phase of the economic action plan to not only enhance the GIS but also the new horizons for seniors program.

We are also working for seniors to ensure the strength of the retirement income system by introducing a new family caregiver tax credit. In fact, when asked about these measures, CARP’s vice-president of advocacy said that its members were, “happy” and “thrilled that these issues–are being mentioned” in the budget.

I would like to go back and discuss the issue, which, in my opinion, is the most important news for seniors in budget 2011, the boost to the guaranteed income supplement. This increase will directly help those seniors who rely exclusively or almost exclusively on federal benefits. This includes many senior women and singles with inadequate incomes.

Budget 2011 measures will provide a new annual top-up benefit of up to $600 for single seniors and $840 for couples. This will improve the financial security of more than 680,000 seniors across Canada. It will help the most vulnerable seniors. This is a significant investment into our seniors population despite the government’s tight fiscal situation that will see us balance our budget by fiscal year 2014-15.

However, do not take my word for it. Let us hear what some key stakeholders have to say about our 2011 budget commitments following the initial tabling of the budget.

The C.D. Howe Institute said:

…the new Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) top-up benefit for low-income seniors, would bring a meaningful increase in benefits too low-income seniors.

Both the Service Employees International Union and the Canadian Labour Congress stated in press releases that the guaranteed income supplement increase “is a win for every senior living in poverty in Canada”.

We are providing the largest GIS increase in a quarter century to the lowest income seniors who need it most. This makes sense.

However, the GIS increase is only one of the many ways our government is helping seniors preserve their standards of living.

Canada’s seniors have worked hard to build a better country and our government believes they deserve a secure and dignified retirement.

Furthermore, Canadians are living longer, healthier lives than people in past generations. Therefore, helping Canadians prepare for and achieve financial security in their later years is a priority of our government.

It goes back to the very beginning of our mandate when we created the portfolio of minister for seniors so that older people could have a stronger voice at the cabinet table.

Since 2007, our government has made life better for Canadian seniors through a number of programs and initiatives. In fact, it was our government who introduced pension income splitting and doubled the pension income credit. We have lowered taxes and removed 85,000 seniors from the tax rolls completely. We also raised the GIS exemption, putting more money in the pockets of 1.6 million more seniors.

What did the opposition do? It voted against all of those measures. If the opposition truly intends to help seniors, it would have voted for our budget.

Speaking of the next phase of Canada’s economic action plan, we will do even more.

As minister for seniors, I am happy to say that budget 2011 has good news for older Canadians. In budget 2011, we introduced new measures to improve the financial security of Canada’s seniors, to expand their opportunities and to enhance their quality of life.

I have already mentioned that Canadians are living longer than people in past generations and they are naturally concerned about financial security after they retire.

It is important to point out that we have a strong public pension system. This year, Canadian’s will receive $70 billion in benefits through the Canada pension plan, old age security and the guaranteed income supplement, or what we call GIS. Over the years, GIS has been a major factor in reducing poverty among Canadian seniors but it is not the only factor and it is not the only area where we are making things better.

Our government also wants to improve federally regulated private pension plans. We are now working with the provinces to introduce new private pension options, such as the pooled registered pension plan. These plans would benefit millions of Canadians who have not had access to this kind of coverage before, such as employees of small and medium-sized businesses and self-employed workers.

We are helping seniors hang on to more of their hard-earned money. As a result of measures introduced by this government, seniors and pensioners will receive about $2.3 billion in targeted tax relief in the 2011-12 fiscal year.

There are many seniors who are not quite ready to draw a pension. The National Seniors Council has found that many seniors are staying on the job where they continue to share their wealth of knowledge and experience. For those seniors who want to keep working, we are changing the rules to eliminate the mandatory retirement age for most federally regulated employees.

We are also extending the targeted initiative for older workers for another two years. This initiative helps older workers who have been laid off from their jobs to retrain for new careers.

All of those measures are helping seniors financially. They are all anti-poverty measures. In fact, the incidence of poverty among seniors in Canada has dropped from a rate of 21% in 1980 to less than 6% in 2008. That is one of the lowest rates in the world.

That is not all. The next phase of Canada’s economic action plan builds on commitments to seniors made in previous budgets. These commitments include $13 million over three years in budget 2008 to help combat elder abuse, of which the most prevalent form is financial abuse. By helping seniors protect themselves from financial abuse, we are protecting their incomes and savings, and that is an anti-poverty measure.

In a previous budget, we also committed $400 million over two years for the construction of new housing units for low income seniors, and that is an anti-poverty measure because it allows older people to find decent homes at a rent they can afford.

We are also introducing general measures to help Canadian families financially that will also benefit seniors.

Caring for an infirm dependent relative can be really expensive. That is why we are introducing a new family caregiver tax credit. In addition, we are removing the limit on the amount of eligible expenses that caregivers can claim under the medical expense tax credit in regard to their financially dependent relatives. For the first time, the definition of caregiver has been expanded to include spouses and common-law partners. Many seniors are acting as caregivers and these measures will relieve some of their burden.

Seniors are also major beneficiaries of the broad-based tax relief measures that our government has introduced and other financial measures, such as the tax free savings account.

Again I would like to point out to members of the House that these measures are directly or indirectly anti-poverty measures.

The interests of older Canadians are becoming more important as seniors make up an increasingly larger proportion of our population.

Financial security is obviously important to seniors, as it is to all Canadians. It is essential to meeting the challenges and enjoying the opportunities that come with getting older. Our government will continue to do its part to ensure that security.

Ms. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, I was interested in some of the things my colleague said, so I have two questions.

First, if the budget of the government is so tight, if it is so concerned about measures to reduce spending, why is it still giving corporate tax cuts to profitable corporations? Why is there $840 million for the banks and $35 billion for jets built in the United States, but only $1.65 a day for a single senior?

Second, if she thinks that expanded pensions are so good, that this private pooled pension is so great, then why not expand the CPP and make it adequate so people can have a decent and dignified retirement?

Hon. Alice Wong:
Mr. Speaker, the most important thing is to speak to the seniors directly and also speak to the major stakeholders.

I am happy to report to the House that I have already spoken to the vice-president of CARP and had a meaningful conversation. In fact, I will be meeting her soon in Toronto, face to face, to listen to her client’s voices.

I am also very proud to report to the House that I have already met seniors face to face. I have spoken to the stakeholders in B.C. over the past few days. I look forward to meeting the president of the National Seniors Council later this week. As well, I look forward to meeting the ministers from the provinces and territories for seniors. We will definitely come to very good solutions to better improve the lives of seniors.

Hon. Gerry Byrne (Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, there was a very serious issue that affected senior’s income not long ago. For those senior citizens who decide to withdraw their registered retirement income funds to respond to a housing crisis, emergency home repairs, emergency medical assistance, or anything else, the government decided on May 17, 2010 that they would lose their GIS benefits. Consequentially, they would also lose their drug cards and other provincial benefits tied to the GIS.

When this was brought to the floor of the House, the government said that it would amend its decision and prevent that from happening. This required a change to the Old Age Security Act.

Will the minister of state commit today that her government will immediately bring in amendments to the Old Age Security Act to ensure that senior citizens, should they withdraw their RRIFs, would not lose their GIS benefits as a result of a loss of optioning?

Hon. Alice Wong:
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Revenue has already addressed the issue, so I will not comment further on it.

However, I will be meeting the provincial and territorial ministers at the end of this month. We will be discussing a lot of issues that will be related directly to the territories and provinces.

On June 15, 2011, Alice Wong answered the following question in Question Period regarding Seniors:

Ms. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, today is Elder Abuse Prevention Day, a time to recognize the abuse many seniors face in our neighbourhoods. Sadly, too many seniors are being physically, sexually and mentally abused by caregivers and loved ones. This should not be a day just to recognize elder abuse, but a day to take action and protect some of our most vulnerable people.

Could the minister tell the House and the seniors across this country why the government allowed the elder abuse awareness initiative to end on March 31, with nothing in its place to protect seniors in our country?

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, any form of abuse is unacceptable. Our government is committed to supporting seniors by combatting elder abuse in all its forms. That is why we have introduced an extensive awareness campaign to take action on this serious issue. We have also committed additional funds in budget 2011 to further support elder abuse awareness.

Our government is taking action to protect vulnerable seniors and we will continue to work hard to do so.

Mr. Merv Tweed (Brandon—Souris, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, today Canada joins countries around the world to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and collectively speak out against all forms of abuse.

I would like to ask the minister of state responsible for seniors what the Government of Canada is doing to combat elder abuse.

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, elder abuse is unacceptable and we as Canadians need to take action against it. Our government is doing just that. Building on the momentum of our elder abuse initiative, budget 2011 provides increased funding to further support elder abuse awareness and we intend to move forward on our Speech from the Throne commitments.

No one deserves to be mistreated or exploited and our government will not tolerate it.

On June 7, 2011, Alice Wong answered the following question in Question Period regarding Seniors:

Hon. Judy Sgro (York West, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, after months of talk about the difficulties facing seniors throughout Canada, I am clearly disappointed in budget 2011. The $1.67 a day for the poorest of the poor and non-refundable tax credits just do not cut it.

Given the increases on gas, hydro, food, et cetera, it is making it very difficult for people to cope on a day-to-day basis and stay in their homes. I heard this on the doorsteps in Toronto, but clearly the Conservatives did not.

Where is the vision, the plan to make a difference in the lives of seniors? Do they not deserve better? Are they just going–

The Speaker:
The hon. parliamentary secretary.

Hon. Alice Wong (Minister of State (Seniors), CPC):
Mr. Speaker, since this is my first time to rise in the House, I would like to thank the voters of Richmond for voting me back in with 58.4%.

I would like to correct the member on some facts.

With the next phase of the economic action plan we are enhancing the GIS in the new horizons program. We are also ensuring the strength of the retirement income system and introducing a new family caregiver tax credit. In fact, when asked about these measures, CARP’s Vice President of Advocacy said that their members are “happy and thrilled with these issues–