Yes, we do take this into consideration. We had a number of consultations with Canadians. There was a panel on older workers in 2007. A report was released in 2008. We did some consultations, round tables with employers and employees across the country in 2011.
We hear what you brought to the committee, but what comes out in terms of the decision to retire, the first reason that comes up is whether people are healthy or not. Their health is the crucial element in whether they want to continue working or not. If they are healthy, then the financial considerations in terms of readiness to retire come second. The third element in terms of their decision has to do with the quality of the work experience.
When we ask them what it would take for them to stay longer, the main thing is flexibility in the workplace. As an example, working just a few days a week is what they seek. They're not thinking of the financial aspect first. Many will say that if they're provided with flexibility, they would like to make a contribution.
When it comes to finances, as I mentioned in my introductory remarks, the guaranteed income supplement used to allow workers to keep the first $500 they earned. This has been increased to $3,500. This is another element that helps with the decision to stay longer in the labour market, but the financial reason is not usually the first reason.