We're just as concerned as you are, Ms. Gazan. We would have liked to hear a valid reason from the minister's representatives. We have a lot of questions. I find it hard to see how you can put people 65 and over in a separate category, especially when, as I mentioned, 60% of them have annual incomes of less than $30,000.
Two retired economists sit on AQDR's income and taxation committee. They've determined how much a senior has to pay to live in an urban area in Quebec. In Montreal, for example, a senior needs $28,000 to live. Do you think the federal and Quebec old age security pensions are enough for a senior to be able to live in Montreal? The total maximum amount of those pensions is far less than $20,000; it's $18,000. So that person is $10,000 short of being able to live in Montreal.