I want to first say that we support your bill. I'm very proud that you brought it forward.
I want to share a story with you that I heard recently from a senior who is living on less than $15,000 a year. She has had no option but to go back and get a job. Because she earns more than $12,000—I believe she quoted it as being just over the $12,000, which would remove her from the GIS cap—it's not beneficial for her. It just doesn't make sense. She still uses a food bank every single week.
In Etobicoke we have one of the most successful food banks. They deliver to 3,000 seniors every single month. These are seniors who are back to work but still can't afford the cost of living. They also deliver, in one month, 3.7 million meals because of the cost of living and the way that this government has a disastrous plan to budget. They don't understand that you can't make a dollar and spend $1,000.
What would you say to this senior who has come to me and said, “I'm going to have to live on the streets. It's not beneficial for me to go back to work, because then I'll be penalized even more”?