Madam Speaker, I am happy to answer that question. I, too, will ask the hon. member a question by repeating what he has just told me. With what he heard in committee, I wonder who leads in this government. Is it the economists, the IMF, the actuaries? Who leads in this government and where are they going?
Bill C-54 gives me some idea of where they are heading. As I said earlier, they are cutting some very wide swarths and starting to squeeze old age pensions. This is what they are doing today, but what will they do tomorrow? That is why I feel we must be wary of this bill. It must really be examined from all angles to see what is happening in this department.
I am being told: "The hon. member seems to think that this bill attacks seniors or others". I not only think so, I am sure of it. Reducing from five to one year the deadline for claiming benefits seniors were previously entitled to is an attack on seniors. Second, waiving overpayment requirements is another attack on seniors. The government could turn around five years later and ask you to repay the $300 and change, plus interest, you received every month for five years. I think that seniors have a right to be concerned about this bill.
Seniors are also justifiably worried, in my opinion, about the fact that several departments would have easy access to information. The most serious oversight is that, as I said earlier, the bill does not guarantee that people aged 65 and older will get their old age pensions.
The burden of proof is being reversed. Talking about sovereignists and about Quebec, they tell us: "If you become a sovereign country, you will lose your old age pension". But I am telling you that if we stay in Canada-if we decide to stay in Canada, but I hope not-seniors may not collect old age pensions either and I think it is something they will keep in mind when it is time to vote and to really think about this issue.
I think I have given the hon. member enough explanations to show that Bill C-54 is indeed the beginning of an attack on the needy, on those aged 65 and older. That is why we, in the Bloc Quebecois, are concerned, why we proposed a minor reasoned amendment to at least ensure that the information will be put to good use. This is one shortcoming of Bill C-54.