Thank you for your question, Mr. Lauzon.
We have taken some steps forward. However, as an example, the money given to domestic violence was $350 million off the bat, followed by another $157 million. When we compare that with the zero dollars for elder abuse and neglect, we see a stark difference between how government responses have been thinking about older people. Again, we think a federal seniors advocate would have supported government in understanding that resources around things like abuse and neglect were going to be critically important.
We do thank the government for its investments. We think the work with United Way was critically important in particular. Where the challenge has ever been with the new horizons for seniors program—I've been very involved with new horizons for more than 20 years—is that they tend to be one year only, with the rare exception of a few multi-year programs, and predominantly pilot-based, with a need to show sustainability. The new horizons for seniors program has been up for review many times. The review process is always the same. Make it more easy for renewable funding and not make it always a one-year program. Elevate that $25,000 to a more meaningful level, or at least allow three-year programming after $75,000, so communities can provide supports. We know that austerity is coming. We know that the first things that get cut are seniors programs. Certainly this is going to be a matter where we need to institutionalize support for seniors and not make just one-time payments.
The last thing I would offer is that it was excellent to see that $500 payment, and again a bit of a support next year as well, to support older people directly for elevated expenses that they have. If you compare that one-time support to ongoing monthly support for children and youth in need, women in need, and others such as CERB, we see that really the answer is more of a universal basic income answer rather than a one-time cost.
Older people have dramatically more expenses in terms of delivery, in terms of transportation, and in terms of different types of medical care during COVID-19. I think it would be helpful to think about how on an ongoing basis older people could be supported with the elevated costs caused by COVID-19.