Human Resources Committee on Oct. 26th, 2017

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Would you agree that we need to have a coordinated effort that includes government leadership from each level of government to achieve the needs?

[Debra Hauptman]

Yes.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you, sir.

Now over to MP Morrissey, for six minutes.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Thank you, Chair.

My question is for the Grande Prairie and Area Council on Aging.

I find it appalling that in this age, it's a 35-week wait period on OAS or GIS issues. You also stated that this wait time has been increasing over the last six to seven years.

Could you specifically identify why the wait times have been going up? What is the problem from Service Canada? We see this not only in OAS and GIS, but in the employment insurance system as well. I want to specify the OAS and GIS system. What has happened in the last six to seven years that has created this wait time?

[Anne Repetowski]

That's a very good question.

I can't speak for Service Canada as to why it's taking longer, but I can tell you comments that I've heard from the call centre people when I've called in with clients. I've heard the comment as recently as two days ago, “We're at the peak because the baby boomers are peaking and it's going to get easier now.” They are attributing it to the baby boomers and the people aging at 65.

We see it as various things happening. Yes, there are people turning 65, and people becoming widowed between 60 and 65 and going on the allowance, which is old age security when they are lower income. We are also seeing people who are working until they are age 70 to 75, even 80, retiring and not having the funds, not having ever worked in a job where there were high enough contributions. It would have kept them out of being supplemented earlier, but then when they stop working, they need it to be able to live monthly because they don't have the savings. It could have been a health circumstance, a divorce, an unexpected death of a spouse, but they don't have the savings. So, it's a combination—

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

I want to focus on the turnaround time, the service that was taking 35 weeks.

[Anne Repetowski]

The turnaround time?

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

What in your opinion has been creating that problem?

[Anne Repetowski]

They're telling us it's because there are more people aging. There are more seniors than ever before. I don't think they have the plans in place. I can't speak for Service Canada. We're a non-profit, and we're only seeing what's happening. We think they haven't increased staff. I know that about four years ago there were staff being cut back in Service Canada. I don't know whether it was call centres or processors alone, but there were staff cuts, and then they didn't have the staff to process the forms.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

This is the human face we see when government follows the philosophy of smaller government. You don't have the personnel in place to provide these essential services to seniors, who are the most vulnerable members of our society, especially single seniors. Is that your experience in Alberta? This is what I'm seeing on the east coast.

[Anne Repetowski]

Yes.

[Sherry Dennis]

I think the processing time has become longer. It has become more complicated to process an application now, whereas 10 years ago it wasn't as complicated. They have to go back three years now in checking information. It has become worse. Now they have more processes to complicate things.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

So they need more people.

I want to direct my question on improving income security to Dr. Marcoux.

In your brochure, you pointed out that since 2012 the incidence of low income among seniors has been dramatically increasing. One of the first moves of our government was to increase the GIS for single seniors, who are probably the most fiscally hard pressed in our society. What would be your opinion on the fact that the former government raised the age of OAS/GIS eligibility, or was planning to do it, to age 67? Would that exacerbate the problem, or how would we deal with it?

[Dr. Laurent Marcoux]

Thank you for your question.

It is a little difficult to make a judgment about what the previous government did. Today, however, we are seeing more and more seniors living in poverty, probably because the cost of living has increased out of all proportion.

Housing is increasingly expensive. That means that seniors living in poverty are more vulnerable. It even puts their lives in danger. Statistics clearly show that less well-off people die sooner, and many reasons account for that. Poverty is a major social factor in matters of health, particularly among the most vulnerable.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

My other question would go to the witness from Cape Breton.

I was interested in your discussions on housing. Could you speak briefly on the unique situation facing rural seniors? A lot of the housing options you elaborated on would be in more urban communities. How do you see the housing situation for rural seniors?

[Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid]

The research project we did was actually in rural communities. It was rural housing projects. In rural areas, there's a higher percentage of home ownership than rental in Atlantic Canada, so you have a situation where more seniors are living in their own homes and then eventually needing to move out. In Atlantic Canada, you have a greater shortage of rental housing options in rural communities than in urban ones .

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you very much.

Next is Rachel Blaney.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Thanks to everybody for being here.

I want to ask all the witnesses to answer a simple question: yes, no, or abstain. Do you believe the government should implement a national seniors strategy?

[Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid]

Yes.

[Stephen Vail, Director of Policy, Canadian Medical Association]

Of course.

[Dr. Laurent Marcoux]

Yes.

[Dr. Chantal Kealey, Director of Audiology, Speech-Language & Audiology Canada]

Yes.

[Dr. Meredith Wright]

Yes.

[Anne Repetowski]

Yes.