Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank Mrs. Gill, who has the best interests of seniors at heart, for allowing me to ask questions today of the Secretary of State, given my role as the Bloc Québécois spokesperson on seniors’ issues.
In preparing for this committee meeting, I noticed that the briefing notes provided by the Library of Parliament fail to mention the fact that the government has increased the old age security pension by 10% only for seniors aged 75 and over, completely ignoring seniors aged 65 to 74. However, there is mention of the cost associated with this increase. All we hear about is the expense, when in fact the cost of caring for these people is minimal. I don't see it as an expense, but rather as an investment. There are seniors who live below the poverty line and cannot age with dignity. First, they are entitled to this financial support. Second, when we allow people to become impoverished, it means greater costs for society.
I would also like to commend my Conservative colleague Anna Roberts, with whom I've had discussions to get her support for Bill C‑319—which I introduced in the last Parliament and which sought to increase old age security pensions by 10% for seniors aged 65 to 74. Mrs. Roberts gave the example of her 74-year-old mother, who was already in a precarious situation and who, unfortunately, was not eligible for the increase in the old age security pension like seniors aged 75 and over.
Madam Secretary of State, wouldn't you agree that this 10% increase—which creates a gap between the pensions of people aged 65 to 74 and those aged 75 and over—has an impact on seniors' households?