I apologize if I gave the impression that I was the only one here; I see that I am not the only man, but there are not very many of us.
I was not chosen to represent my organization because of my deep understanding of women, but also because, like Ms. Rose, I do have some knowledge of public and private pension plans. I am a former chief actuary for the Canada Pension Plan and the public service superannuation plans. So, I subscribe to everything that she has already said. When it comes to the public service superannuation plan, the government, as the employer, could easily take into account the differences between men and women, because the public service pension is not a social program. You are probably already aware of the changes involving pay equity. A great deal has been done in that area and, as Ms. Rose said, there is still a gap, but it is narrower.
The main thing that I would like to bring to your attention today is the fact that, to a certain extent, nature has found a way to reward women for everything that they have contributed to the men in their lives, including, bearing their children and raising them. You can't put a price on that. Nature has rewarded them by allowing them to live longer than men. You are probably well aware of that, but it is a phenomenon that is nevertheless hard to explain. No matter how you look at it, this phenomenon will continue because as soon as they are born, women are destined to live longer. We will never be able to take that away from them. Nature is kind to women by allowing them to live longer, but that also causes problems because women become poorer as they age, and we have clear proof of that.
I have all of the figures here; I can prepare a report for you later. I apologize, I did not have time to prepare one beforehand. The Guaranteed Income Supplement program clearly demonstrates that not only are there more seniors who are women, but that they are becoming even poorer. Even if we project into 2050, and take into account the improvements made to the program, there will still be women who are poorer. The number might drop as we approach 2050, but some women will be poor, and if the forecasts bear out, 40% of senior women will be living under the poverty level. As you know, this is because women continue to earn less than men and because they will, for the most part, always be the ones who are responsible for raising their children. Their career will not be as long, so the phenomenon will continue to exist.
Not only will they earn a lower employment or pension income than men, but if their husband dies—and, usually, the husband is the first one to go, because they have a shorter life span—the woman will lose her access to health insurance. Their financial needs are great, and when it comes to health, that is an area that should be emphasized because it is so important. Good health is important to the quality of one's life.
Those are the main points that I wanted to make. I hope you found them helpful, and I would be delighted to answer your questions.