Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for giving me this opportunity to be part of this conversation. I would also like to thank members of the committee for inviting me to this forum this afternoon.
These conversations could not have come at a better time in view of the fact that 25% of the current working population is going to retire in the next seven to 10 years. I'll be speaking as the president of the Senior Empowerment Assistance Centre in the Region of Peel, which is composed of Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon.
I'm here this afternoon to share with you how we can go about tackling the problem of senior exclusion, and advancing their quality of life in Canada. I'll be talking about the consequences of social isolation and the benefits of social inclusion. I'll also be talking about how our Senior Empowerment Assistance Centre has devised a five-point strategy, which we are using in the Region of Peel, to address this problem with seniors in our society. I'll also be talking about how organizations such as ours, composed of NGOs, the private sector, and the government—because the government cannot do it alone— can collaborate to address this problem with seniors. It is very important, because what we are seeing right now is what we call the wisdom of this age. There's a kind of generation gap whereby seniors above the age of 60 or 65 who retire cannot pass down that wisdom to the younger generations, and so there's a drift.
In the Region of Peel, which I represent, that gap is present right now. This wisdom cannot be passed down to the younger generations. The seniors need to tell their stories other than to their kids and down the lines. A lot of them have worked for over 25 years to 35 years, and a lot of the younger people are struggling trying to enter the system. There must be a bridge of that gap between seniors and the younger generations. This is part of what our organization is doing to address this problem.
Social inclusion is defined as the process of improving the chance of participation in society, particularly for people who are disadvantaged, to enhance opportunities, access to resources, and to voice their respect for rights. On the other hand, social exclusion is described as a state in which individuals are unable to participate fully in economic, social, political, and cultural life, as well as the process leading to and sustaining a social state.
If we look at the consequences of social exclusion or isolation, it leads to poor physical and mental health, to loneliness and emotional distress. In the Region of Peel that I represent, seniors wake up in the morning and go to Tim Hortons or McDonald's and sit there reading newspapers. We call them the boys and girls club. A lot is being done to address these issues, but I believe the government can do more by collaborating with the private sector as well as end users such as us. When seniors who can still contribute positively to society end up sitting in Tim Hortons or McDonald's for almost eight hours wasting life and tangible wisdom that can be passed on to the younger generation, then there is something wrong in society.
This leads to confinement and lack of contribution to society. When they are not educated about government, social services, and support, there is no way the mission of the government can succeed if these seniors are not engaged and included in programs and policies that would enhance their life. The engagement of seniors is very crucial to whatever programs and policies the government is setting up.
Also, there is disengagement from social networks. It reduces social participation, induces poverty and depression, and reduces their quality of life. I'm going to share some statistics from years back from the Region of Peel. Now, after taxes, the median household income in Peel is about $84,000, and 47% of families aged 55 to 64, according to research done three years ago, have no accrued employee pension benefits.
We have a lot of immigrants coming through the system. We are so blessed in that region, because when people migrate, let's say, from India, from Asia, they come with their extended families. They sponsor them, and an outcome of that is that when this group doesn't have the means to support themselves, of looking forward to retirement, that becomes a problem. On the other hand, we have, even within this family structure, caregivers, family caregivers, who render tremendous help in managing and helping these seniors.
Let me quickly talk about the five-point strategy we are using. We are using education, enlightenment, empowerment, engagement, and entrepreneurship. These are the five key points of the strategy we are using to address the problems of seniors in Peel.
I'll be discussing more later. Thank you very much.