Evidence of meeting #23 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Liberal
Deb Schulte Liberal King—Vaughan, ON
I'm sorry about the interruptions. I'll keep going.
One thing that was being conflated was the cost of living increases that were applied to pensions, which is what we do in Canada. That makes sure that seniors keep up with cost of living increases.
These increases are applied four times in the year. Sometimes there are complaints about it being a small amount. We felt it was more important, rather than waiting once a year to give a larger amount, that we give it to seniors as they needed it to address the cost of living they may be facing. Another important element is that once it's applied, it cannot be removed. If the cost of living goes down, that does not get removed from their pensions.
It's an important program and an important aspect of how we support seniors.
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
Thank you, Minister.
Chair, how much time do I have left?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
You have a little over a minute. We added some time for those interruptions.
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
Thank you very much.
Minister, I'm going to skip over one and go to my last question here.
I love the projects that have happened in my riding. Each year, projects for seniors get launched, like the new horizons for seniors program. I've been very excited each year to work for the vibrant organizations in my riding to deliver for seniors. I know two in particular. Saint John regional library had a project where seniors could go in and basically participate in writing a book with their stories. Another organization applied for a greenhouse where seniors could go in, have fellowship, plant and do things like that.
For all the existing or soon-to-be project organizers listening, if someone wanted to serve seniors and step up in your community or my community, what would you recommend? What examples can you point to of viable models for community projects that could help seniors?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Please be brief, if you can, Minister. He wants a big long list, but we need a short one to stay within time.
Liberal
Deb Schulte Liberal King—Vaughan, ON
There's a very long list, and I think it would be good for us to get connected to share that list so that you can share it with the groups in your communities that are interested.
I have been inspired by the creativity of organizations across the country that have stepped up. About 2,000 projects were launched last year as a result of the additional funding that we provided to the new horizons for seniors program.
Liberal
Deb Schulte Liberal King—Vaughan, ON
They are inspiring stories. They make a world of difference.
I have heard some very touching stories of seniors who had never been connected before because they were afraid of the Internet. They got a free tablet and free Internet, and they are now able to Skype with their loved ones in other parts of the world. They not only connect with programs in their own communities, but connect with family members around the world. During this time, that has been a lifeline for them. They feel part of the world and still part of their families. Even though they can't have their grandkids over and hug them, they can still be part of their lives and watch them sing and dance. They can be engaged. It's lovely.
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
It's a life-changing program for many seniors.
Thank you, Minister, for your time.
Bloc
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, Madam Minister. Thank you for being with us.
My questions will be related to old age security. For some time now, in your reports, you have been praising the one-time payment your government made to seniors receiving old age security and the guaranteed income supplement. I dare say that if the Bloc Québécois hadn't been there during the crisis, even that payment wouldn't have been possible.
You said that your government remains committed to increasing old age security by 10% for seniors over 75. It was one of your election promises in 2019. Why haven't you done it yet?
Liberal
Deb Schulte Liberal King—Vaughan, ON
Thank you very much for that important question. I've already answered it somewhat in a previous question, but we were focused on supporting seniors during the pandemic. This wasn't just about the financial support that we provided, which was significant: $300 for those on OAS and an additional $200 for those on the guaranteed income supplement. We can add that to the GST credit they got. Both of those were tax-free. If you add them together, a low-income couple would have received over $1,500 tax-free, and they didn't have to apply for it.
Bloc
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
I wanted to know why you haven't yet increased old age security permanently.
I'll ask another question, then: Why was the age set at 75 instead of 65, as the Bloc Québécois is calling for?
Liberal
Deb Schulte Liberal King—Vaughan, ON
It is important to look at how seniors are aging and the impacts they're facing as they age. We know that they're more likely, as they age, to outlive their savings, to have disabilities, to be unable to work and to be widowed, and all the while their health care costs will rise. That is why we reaffirmed our commitment to increasing old age security by 10% for seniors aged 75 and older. It will bolster the financial security of over three million seniors and lift 25,000 seniors out of poverty. Two-thirds of them are women.
We know that seniors built our country, and they deserve to live a retirement of dignity and security. That is why we're focusing on seniors who have more needs, namely those who are 75 and over.
Bloc
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
The pension plan is a universal plan that begins at age 65, for both the Canada and Quebec pension plans. More than 50% of Canadians have only this income as their old age pension. So we believe that there should be no discrimination and that you should commit to making that increase at age 65.
Another question I have is about national standards. I must admit that you regularly lose us by insisting on national standards. Earlier, we even talked about training our support workers. This is completely under provincial jurisdiction, and in Quebec, the workers have diplomas and qualifications. I don't understand the federal government's insistence on imposing national standards in our long-term care and nursing homes, or CHSLDs, unless it is desperate to take that power and then impose conditions on how the provinces spend on health. Wouldn't it be better to support the repeated demands of the provinces, the premiers and the territories and increase health transfers to 35%?
Liberal
Deb Schulte Liberal King—Vaughan, ON
Thank you very much for that question.
As we heard in the House today during question period, the Government of Canada has been sending billions of dollars to provinces and territories during the pandemic to bolster the health care system. We support provinces by procuring and providing PPE, wage subsidies for low-income and essential workers and providing vaccines for free. We are at this point in time sending billions of dollars to the provinces and territories so they can help bolster their health care systems.
We are in a pandemic—we are still in a pandemic—and we've been supporting the pandemic response. That's where the focus has been. You've heard the Prime Minister say that those conversations on health transfers are to come, but right now it's the pandemic response that we're focusing on.
We have been sending billions of dollars to provinces and territories. It's not just money; we've also been supporting them with personnel. It wasn't just Quebec and Ontario that needed to call in the military to help when our long-term care facilities were in distress and facing crises. We've also been there to support those organizations with our Red Cross. Now we are funding an organization that is helping them with infection prevention and protection though a long-term care plus initiative.
We are working with the Province of Quebec and we are supporting the Province of Quebec. That's why we did not support the motion today that the NDP brought forward. We don't believe that you can do a long-term care review and bring in national standards without having the co-operation of the provinces and territories. That's why we'll be working with them to bring in national standards.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Thank you, Minister.
Thank you, Ms. Chabot.
Next will be Ms. Gazan, please, for six minutes.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Thank you so much, Chair.
Thank you, Minister, for being with us today.
Canada lost over 22,000 people as a result of the pandemic. Almost 16,000 of those Canadians who lost their lives were seniors. We know that many more seniors experienced hospitalization and severe symptoms. Clearly the pandemic has demonstrated how seniors in our society are treated as disposable, particularly relating to long-term care, where we saw the worst of the worst conditions for seniors.
I know your government voted against our motion today to put in national standards for long-term care, and you just responded to my colleague.... If you look historically at Canada's universal health care, that's a prime example of where the federal government worked with the provinces in the area of their jurisdiction to ensure universal access to world-class health care. Given the conditions, knowing that seniors' safety and their ability to live in dignity are at risk by being forced to continue to reside in for-profit long-term care, it certainly speaks to the need for change.
Your government voted against it, but don't you believe that principles of long-term care should be the same as universal health care: to ensure seniors are safe and can live in dignity?
Liberal
Deb Schulte Liberal King—Vaughan, ON
Thank you very much for the question.
The tragedy that we saw in long-term care through the pandemic, both in the first wave and then again in the second wave, really points to the need for an improvement in the care of our seniors, especially in long-term care. This is why we have reconfirmed that we are moving forward on long-term care national standards. However, we'll be working with the provinces and territories to do that, because it is their jurisdiction.
As I mentioned before, we have not just been standing by; we have been investing in long-term care. There was $740 million that was provided to the provinces and territories to bring in control and prevent infections. That included long-term care. We announced $1 billion, as you know, in the fall economic statement, to create a safe long-term care fund. We've also funded the long-term care plus initiative.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Yes. Unfortunately it was a little too late, because almost 16,000 seniors lost their lives and many others were at risk of losing their lives.
I don't really have a lot of trust around fast action. I'll give you a couple of examples. One is universal pharmacare. The Liberal government has promised this since 1997. We're talking about now working with provinces and territories to put in place national standards for long-term care. Meanwhile, we know that not just seniors, but also many disabled adults, continue to be placed at risk while governments dilly-dally on the backs of seniors and disabled persons in this country.
We know that, especially when it comes to for-profit long-term care facilities, study after study and report after report confirm that for-profit facilities and their abhorrent services are to blame for the countless deaths and infections related to COVID-19. It is unacceptable to me that we continue to dilly-dally.
Shouldn't the federal government move beyond standards and create a national long-term care program to protect seniors and disabled persons and ensure that they get the care they need? Would you agree with that?
Liberal
Deb Schulte Liberal King—Vaughan, ON
You will see no argument here on the need for national standards on long-term care, and I can assure you there's no dilly-dallying. I have been having those conversations with my counterparts in the provinces and territories, as has Minister Hajdu. Those discussions are under way. We are also making investments through the long-term care plus initiative, where we are having a sharing of information through long-term care with each other, with experts, to make sure they're bringing into place best practices to protect seniors.
We are really happy that NACI, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, has identified that seniors living in long-term care would be some of the first to get vaccinated, and we can see provinces and territories well under way in that initiative to make sure that we have them protected.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Finally, is your government willing to immediately end for-profit long-term care, yes or no?