Thank you very much.
It is true that lifting someone out of poverty would be a goal, although we can make numbers say whatever we want. Does someone who is only a few dollars above the poverty line really live with dignity?
I'll give you an example. That's more or less what we hear from some seniors. In any case, the food banks in my area have made me more aware of this issue. I have a meeting coming up to discuss the situation of seniors in particular. Of course, these food banks also serve, in addition to people with disabilities, many people who are in the workforce, families and workers who come looking for food assistance. There are also seniors. This number has been steadily increasing for a few years—for far too long already. What food banks are saying, in particular, is that incomes are not sufficient, either. Federal benefits paid to seniors are not enough. People aged 65 to 74, for example, did not receive a 10% increase in their old age security pension, unlike those aged 75 and over.
One of the food banks' recommendations is that, at a minimum, people aged 65 to 74 should receive the same amount of benefits as those aged 75 and over.
However, that wouldn't solve everything. Again, this is a federal benefit that doesn't seem to meet needs and leaves seniors struggling. It's being said that so many seniors have been lifted out of poverty, but when they're only a few dollars above the poverty line, that's when they struggle to meet their basic needs: housing and food.
Are you also seeing this reality among seniors who come to your food bank?