Mr. Speaker, the number of Canadian seniors living in poverty is clearly a crisis and it is clear the Liberal government has no plan to help.
As we get closer to an election, we will hear bigger and bigger claims from the government about what it has done for seniors. Do not believe any of it.
A recent study done for the Hamilton Community Foundation laid bare the dire situation for many of our seniors in Hamilton. The report cited an increase in poverty rates for Hamilton seniors, more seniors using food banks, an increase in the number of seniors needing to work to get by and an increase in seniors living alone.
The study projects director, Jeff Wingard, says that they found a rise in poverty rates for the first time in recent memory. He also says that the number of seniors who are working has doubled, many in low-paying jobs. Many of those seniors are working because they have to, not because they want to.
The government needs to get its head out of the sand, recognize there is a real problem and offer up real solutions, not empty election promises.