Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise in this House when you are in the Chair.
I am pleased to participate in the debate on Bill C-54 because this legislation, which looks to be an harmonization measure, could have a significant impact on the poorest people in our society. It should be pointed out for the benefit of those viewers who may have just joined us that Bill C-54 amends four very important acts providing the basis of income support measures for the poorest Canadians.
Indeed, Bill C-54 is an act to amend the Old Age Security Act, the Canada Pension Plan, the Children's Special Allowances Act and the Unemployment Insurance Act. It is therefore a piece of legislation which targets the two main pillars of our social security system, namely social assistance and social insurance.
It should also be pointed out that this is a bill which deals primarily with income support measures for our seniors. As you know, several experts claim that, on the whole, the problem of poverty among seniors is not as bad as it once was. Consequently, the old assumption that poverty and old age went hand in hand is probably not quite true any more. However, the fact remains that, compared to the national average, that age group still has the highest percentage of low-income individuals.
Let us take a look at the 1992 figures. That year, about 16.8 per cent of all Canadians were considered to be low-income individuals. However, the figure was 20.6 per cent in the case of our seniors. Consequently, the government has to be very careful when reviewing any legislation affecting seniors, for we have not necessarily done everything we could to ensure that people over 55 have a decent income to live on.
And I think we will have to consider this in connection with the bill before the House today. I must admit this bill contains a number of positive elements, but we must not forget that in this situation, the government is firmly resolved to do everything it possibly can, and this often includes measures that unfortunately affect people who are vulnerable.
It has to be said, and we as the Official Opposition have a responsibility in this respect, that Bill C-54, ostensibly an attempt at harmonization, is intended to give the government a
chance to save money. In this respect, in the way it treats seniors, it is consistent with the last Martin budget, because you will recall that the budget brought down last February substantially reduced the tax credit for seniors.
Before the budget, seniors in this country could count on an age credit, which meant they could claim 17 per cent of their taxable income. This gave seniors in this country a tax rebate of roughly $610. We all know that the last budget launched a shameless attack on this tax credit and deprived the neediest in our society of a tax rebate to which they otherwise would have been entitled.
Although Bill C-54 is supposed to be about harmonization, it must be pointed out that its purpose is also to make it possible for the government to get money back from the neediest in this country, through our tax system. However, since we have always taken a very positive approach, I would like to take a few minutes, and it certainly will not take long, to describe the more positive aspects of this bill.
There is the fact that it will be possible, in some cases, for spousal benefits to automatically become OAS benefits, without having to go through all the red tape that is so onerous for Canadians.
Other positive points-and I see my time is running out. Yes, I will sit down like a good boy at 2 p.m.