Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Members of the committee, good morning. I hope you won't be too tough on me as a new minister.
I was very glad to receive this invitation. It is an honour to appear before the committee for the first time as Minister of Labour and Seniors, after my appointment this past July.
Mr. Chair, workplaces are fairer and workers are safer because of this government. We've provided 10 days of paid sick leave per year, so no one has to choose between staying home sick or paying their bills. We're protecting gig workers against misclassification and wage theft. We banned the use of replacement workers during labour disputes. That will be coming into force next year. There's still more to come.
We are implementing a new leave for parents welcoming a child through adoption and surrogacy, as well as new three-day paid leave for employees who face a pregnancy loss.
We are protecting the right to disconnect to help restore our much-needed balance between work and home life.
We advanced one of the most significant changes to Canadian labour law in decades, which was banning replacement workers during strikes or lockouts. Replacement workers can prolong disputes, tip the scales at the bargaining table and poison workplaces. We're proud to have put a stop to it.
This government respects the collective bargaining process. This year we successfully supported parties in negotiating new collective agreements. It's not easy and I look forward to the opportunity to talk more about this today with you and the members, Mr. Chair. When parties put in the work at the table, negotiated agreements are possible and are always the best way forward.
I'm also proud of the work we've done for seniors. We've backed our seniors and helped make life more affordable, allowing them to age with dignity. We introduced the Canadian dental care plan, with nearly three million seniors now enrolled and one million having received care.
We increased the OAS for the most vulnerable seniors—those 75 and over. That's three million people receiving an extra $1,000 every year. We increased the GIS, the guaranteed income supplement, and raised the earnings exemption so that working seniors can keep more of what they earn. We reversed the previous government's plan to raise the retirement age to 67, saving the retirements of one million seniors every year.
The work continues, work that I am honoured to undertake. In August, I announced the latest call for proposals for the New Horizons for Seniors Program. Last year, over 900,000 seniors participated in 3,500 projects funded through the program.
Our government is committed to ensuring a safe future for Canadian seniors, ending the mistreatment of older persons and fighting poverty among seniors. Our approach is working. For instance, in my province of Quebec, the senior poverty rate has dropped 57% thanks to direct investments by our government.
I am very proud of the work this government and this Parliament have done to support workers and seniors. I am delighted to be able to build on my predecessors' achievements and to continue delivering results for Canadians.
I will leave it there, Mr. Chair. I look forward to answering the committee's questions.
Thank you for the warm welcome and the opportunity.