We looked at how much it would cost, but we did not determine whether we could afford it or not. Whether or not to increase the guaranteed income supplement and old age security benefits is a public policy choice. It depends on the choices that parliamentarians are prepared to make. All of the choices that you make involve trade-offs. If more money is invested in the guaranteed income supplement, that means that the government has to raise taxes or invest less money in other public policy areas.
We also did not consider the economic impact that increasing the guaranteed income supplement would have on regional economic activity. If the government gives more money to low- or middle-income Canadians, they might be inclined to spend it on local products. Of course that would have a positive impact on the economy of all the regions of Canada, since there are seniors living all across the country.